By Alpha Abu
A team from Tanzania’s Universal Communication Services Access Fund (UCSAF) has visited communication facilities managed by their Sierra Leonean counterparts in parts of the country.
Senior officials of Universal Access Development Fund (UADF) Sierra Leone took their guests to computer labs at the Queen of the Rosary Senior Secondary School in Bo and the Government Secondary School for Boys to apprise them about the progress of the pupils in using computers and the internet.
At Holy Rosary, the Principal Sister Bernadine Ngozi explained the eagerness of the girls to make use of the school’s computer lab that was put together by UADF.
She said this is a digital age and young people don’t want to be left out. She acknowledged the immense knowledge the pupils are getting from the internet facility in the Computer Lab, making learning more interesting and matching the needs of the time.
Sister Ngozi said computer studies is a compulsory subject for senior girls and expressed the need for expansion of the computer Lab to accommodate the growing demand in the school for computer learning.
The Chief Executive Officer of UADF, Marie Momoh entreated the teachers to get the girls to make use of the facility judiciously. She said they have realised that the rural communities are under-served and that the initiative will help improve their participation in the digital space.
She expressed delight that the computers are being well utilised and stated that UADF will be engaging Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education officials who have their own computer learning scheme for schools, to avoid duplicity.
At the Government Secondary School for Boys in Kenema, east of Sierra Leone, the Tanzanian visitors were taken to the school’s computer Lab where they also met some students in full session.
Mustapha Mansaray -Principal of the Senior Secondary School said the 30 computers in the school Lab were donated by President Julius Maada Bio through UADF.
He spoke about the tremendous impact the Lab has made in the lives of the boys but pointed out that the solar system present cannot fully power all the computers, and can only use all of them when the main public power provider is running.
Narrating the impact of the lab in his studies Senior Secondary School (3) Art 1 student Alusine Sankoh said he’s been helped in many ways, mentioning how he has become more adept in using his smartphone to access tutorials, including presentations by motivational speakers. He said for him, the availability of the computer lab has been more of a blessing to him in his educational pursuit.
The team was also taken to UADF’s solar-powered Rural Telephone Tower at Dodo Kortuma in the Luawa Chiefdom, Kailahun District also in the east, which is aimed at providing a platform that private Mobile Telecom Operators can use to affix their equipment that can be able to serve surrounding remote communities.
The Section Chief of Jusu Kanneh Jambai in his address spoke about them being able to make and receive calls on their mobile phones using Africell Mobile Telecom Company and hoped other service providers would try to improve their coverage in the village and surrounding areas.
He expressed their appreciation for the visit by the Tanzanians and thanked UADF for coming to their aid over the communication challenges faced in that part of the country.
Head of delegation from UCSAF, Albert Richard in his statement spoke about the striking similarities in village settings in Sierra Leone and Tanzania. He said the communication challenges are also the same.
He said that people should make use of the communication platform provided to improve their lives.
UDAF’s CEO Madam Momoh expressed gratitude to President Bio and officials at the Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation for providing UADF with the tools to carry out their mandate of making communication accessible in harder-to-reach areas in the country.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (29/09/23)
