Orange Sierra Leone, the country’s leading telecoms company has handed over a state of the art pre-school to ForeRoad Lokomasama community on behalf of government. The new school named the ‘Kombra Nursery School’ is the fourth to be handed over to government, and plans for additional facilities to the school are underway. The fifth pre-school is undergoing construction in the southern district of Bonthe. The new pre-school in Lokomasama community is constructed on a two-acre land. The village is chosen out of 366 villages in 190 chiefdoms in the northern district of PortLoko.
The unveiling and handing over ceremony of the ‘Kombra Nursery School’ took place last Friday attended by several dignitaries including VP Jalloh. Speaking during the ceremony, Company Secretary and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Haffie Haffner said the handing over of the new edifice showed the company’s readiness to invest in education. “Orange Sierra Leone is ready to make a difference in education,” the Orange CEO stressed.
While handing over the school to the community people, she called on the community to look after the new facility well adding that the school belongs to the community.
She informed the audience that the company was in a position to construct the school owing to the support they had received from the community. She appealed for more support and cooperation so that the company could do more.
The construction of the new school, Haffner said, was a direct response to government’s request on the launching of the Free Quality Education (FQE) project. The Deputy CEO also looked back to the recent past when the FQE conference was held by Government.
During the conference, she said, Orange Sierra Leone was the first to pledge US$1.5m (over Le1.5 trillion) to be implemented in a five-year term. “The money was to be spent on five projects: menstrual hygiene, super coders, inter-school debates, distribution of 1,000 solar kits and e-learning project for teachers,” she informed audience.The implementation of these projects however stalled following the outbreak of Corona Virus in Sierra Leone in March, 2020. “When COVID-19 struck, Orange Sierra Leone diverted their attention to fight the virus,” she recounted.
Since the company is sure to implement whenever it pledges, it’s attention is never swayed from its objectives in spite of the deadly health threat. As the virus threatened every Sierra Leonean, the company consulted with the Ministry of Basic and Senior School Education (MBSSE) for proper guidance on where next to invest. “MBSSE identified the construction of early child development schools in the country,” she said.
Last year, she went on, the company constructed three pre-schools in Kambia in the north as well as Moyamba and Pujehun in the south. The three schools are now full in wing with well equipped learning and teaching materials.
Despite the company’s great achievements, the company is set to do more. “We will build another two pee-schools in 2022 to add to the existing five,” Haffner assured.
She called on the community to look after the new Kombra Nursery School as much time, energy and resources have gone into it. “In years to come, we will like to see the playground improved, and the school fenced,” she expressed hope. Haffner also appealed to pupils to take advantage of the learning facility and called on parents to send their children to school, and monitor them adding that a bright future awaits the learners.
In her contribution, Deputy Minister-11, MBSSE, Mamusu Konneh Massaquoi appreciated the company for a move to improve access to education in Sierra Leone. “We have started seeing new schools built in communities that do not have such facilities in the past. It is an enhancement of access to education,” she said. In years gone by, she said, only children of rich men had access to pre-school education, but Orange Sierra Leone is reversing an age-old trend. The deputy minister strongly believes that ensuring pre-school education means building a strong foundation for children’s education.
Orange Sierra Leone was also commended by the Resident Minister, Dr Alpha Kanu saying an enduring legacy had been left.
Dr Kanu who was Minister of Information and Communication at the time Orange came to Sierra Leone said the past government was highly skeptical when President Julius Maada Bio launched the FQE project. “Today, we are seeing the reality,” he said.
The Resident Minister who told the audience that he went to school at a time when there are only three pre-schools in Lokomasama Chiefdom said a new hope had been restored by the ‘New Direction’ government. At that time, he went on, only few ones in a particular family were catered for. With President Bio’s pronouncement of the FQE project, it means “enhanced access to education is here.” As early as two years, at that time, children, never thought of education, but with Orange, the children are caught young for a brighter and better future.
The keynote address was made by Vice President, Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh during the ceremony.
He informed the audience that government had been catering for 2.6 million pupils in Sierra Leone, paying teachers, building schools and providing feeding among others. “For the SLPP (Sierra Leone People’s Party) government, education is a priority, and we have achieved result,” he said. The Vice President believes that with education, Sierra Leone would be transformed adding that new buildings would be added to the new facility. “A primary and secondary school would be built, a maths and science place provided and the land fenced, to ensure a convenient learning environment,” the Vice President assured.
VP Jalloh also promised to provide uniforms for children who will be attending the new school. He also appealed to the community to ensure that the parents form part of the committee that would oversee the school so that they would take ownership and responsibility.
He ended his address by commending the former Orange Sierra Leone CEO, Aminata Kane Ndiaye who, she referred to as the initiator of the project.
A conducted tour of the new school facility formed part of the occasion.