By Saio Marrah
The Mamie Mariama Justice Ganawah Education Foundation (MaMJGEF) has through their 2024 National Education Champions Awards, recognized 24 individuals and institutions for their support towards education.
This happened at a dinner and awards night that took place at Hotel Cabenda, Freetown on Saturday 27th January 2024.
Educationists Professor Joe A.D. Alie and Samuel Jamiru Braima received lifetime achievement awards for their immense contribution to the area of education.
Prof. Alie taught at both primary and secondary school before becoming a Lecturer at the University of Sierra Leone. He has written some 15 books and is a recipient of many academic and other awards.
In a brief statement, Prof. Alie called on others to emulate their efforts, adding that one does not need to be a politician to contribute to development.
“If you are an academic stay in that lane as most of us have done over the years, and contribute. Someday somehow people would acknowledge that contribution, and this is exactly what is happening tonight,” he said.
Mr.Briama another of the awardees was said to have contributed in the area of Accounting and could identify the current Central Bank Governor and his deputy as some of his past students.
Other recipients of the MamJGEF educational award include Floydalin Davies of Murray Deen Preparatory School, who attained the best National Primary School Examination (NPSE) result in the country for the year 2023, Sarlahmata Amida Tejan of Modern High School with the best Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) result for 2023, and Raymonda E A Mammah and Sahr Edward Fillie, both from Providence International Senior High School with the best West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) result in 2023.
At the university level, Joseph Amara from Fourah Bay College (FBC) best graduate for the academic year 2021/2022, Everett Saccoi from the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS), Fayia Peter Sahr- Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM), and Peter S. Bangura from University of Makeni (UniMak) and host of others were recognized for their outstanding academic achievements.
The Chief Executive Officer of the MamJGEF, Mohamed Ibrahim Justice Ganawah, said: “Tonight, we embark on a journey of remembrance, celebration, and commitment to a cause deeply entrenched in the values of Mamie Mariama Ganawah”.
According to him, Mamie Mariama Ganawah on whose memory the foundation was named, was not merely an advocate or lover of education, but also a staunch believer in transforming individuals and communities alike.
He noted the foundation focuses purely on education, and recalled the period Sierra Leone was nicknamed the Athens of West Africa, a time that he said people were leaving parts of the continent to acquire education in the country.
At the establishment of the foundation, he said they vowed to uphold the legacy of not just getting the country back to that era as Athens of West Africa, but a champion of education in the continent.
“So one way we could be able to achieve such a wonderful vision is by having what we call the National Education Champions Awards (NECA),” he said.
Commenting on their achievements as a foundation with no external support, he said they were able to get in 42 beneficiaries 10 of whom never had the opportunity to have formal school education, adding that they fought hard to get those enrolled into schools that were in the first place never willing to admit them.
He pointed out how three of them got double promotions in their respective schools, and that the foundation will be producing three first-class students from FBC this year. He however admitted financial constraints in the foundation carrying out its work.
World Vision, Don Bosco Fambul, Action Aid, Anti-Corruption Commission, United Bank of Africa, SEND-SL, and India Embassy were among those also bestowed with awards.
Copyright © 2024 (Politico 31/01/24)
