By Mabinty M. Kamara
The Milton Margai College of Education and Technology (MMCET) will next semester start a course in pottery with support from the Chinese Embassy in Freetown.
A memorandum of understanding signed on Wednesday 7th August between the Ministry of Tertiaty and Higher Education and the Chinese embassy commits the latter to support the Practical Arts Department of the college that will provide the new course.
According to officials of the Chinese Embassy, the short term course would create jobs. They appealed to Government, through the Ministry of Education, to provide waiver for some of the equipment to be shipped.
According to the MoU, the Chinese Embassy will provide the equipment, vehicles and the expertise to train 45 students in the Practical Arts Department to make pottery items. But, the Embassy cannot ship the raw materials from China. Therefore, MMCET will provide the raw materials like clay, ovens, water and firewood and the space that assures a conducive learning environment for the training of the students as well as provide the leave application, coordinate the entire process and duty waiver for the shipment of the equipment.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education, Mr. Gilbert Cooper, said the MoU was a “fair deal.”
© 2019 Politico Online
