By Septimus Senessie in Kono.
World Vision Sierra Leone has handed over a newly constructed 3-classroom block preschool to Njagbwema in the Fiama Chiefdom, Kono district. The first in the history of the chiefdom. It is complete with office space, a store, 2-seater VIP latrines and water wells estimate at nearly le 60 million. The manager of the Fiama Area Development programme (ADP) of the World Vision, Machiel Vandi Belmoh told his audience that the project was funded by Austral to promote “early childhood education in the Chiefdom.” He maintained that the programme had also provided 6 teachers of the preschool with scholarships to pursue teacher’s training certificate at the Freetown Teachers’ College and at the Eastern Polytechnic, Woama Campus distance learning programme to build on their capacity to provide quality education for the children in the school. On the overall development of education in the chiefdom, the manager pointed out that the Fiama ADP had contributed so much to the improvement of education in the chiefdom ranging from both “hardware and software packages.” The soft ware package he said included the construction and rehabilitation of schools, water wells, VIP latrines and the supply of learning and teaching materials to promote quality and affordable education for the children. He added that under the software package of the programme they had provided 40 scholarships for 40 untrained and unqualified teachers to pursue teachers’ certificate courses and higher teachers’ certificate courses in the distance learning programme of the Eastern Polytechnic and Freetown Teachers’ college, Kono branch. He said they had also formed a child advocacy club called Mothers’ Clue and empowered them to carry out community sensitization programmes on the importance of sending children to school. In her remarks, the Kono District Base Manager of World Vision Sierra Leone, Catherine Sillah described parents as the “first social organization and best teacher of the child,” urging them to teach their children at their early childhood stage. She told them to invest in the education of their children for a brighter future, adding “your children are your future banks which cannot deceive you at your old age”. She cautioned the teachers against vernacular speaking to the children and immoral acts, which she insisted would not help the children in the society. Sillah pledged her organization’s continued support to the people of Fiama chiefdom in actualizing their dreams. The senior section Chief of Fiama Chiefdom, Chief Sandi Moiwa thanked World Vision Sierra Leone for constructing the first ever preschool in their chiefdom. He said they would support the school in their own way for the education of their children and added that they would formulate by-laws that would prevents parents from taking their children of school-going age to the farm.
