By Politico staff writer
The United Kingdom Special Envoy for Girl’s Education, Helen Grant, on Thursday 20th May 2021 engaged President Julius Maada Bio in Freetown to discuss Sierra Leone’s Free Quality Education drive.
Grant, who is a UK Member of Parliament, said that they were in Sierra Leone to learn about how the country had successfully implemented the Free Quality Education and the radical inclusion policy and to also learn how their funds were being utilized.
She said they had visited schools in Tombo, Hastings and the School for the Blind and have seen the successes of the government.
Grant also commended President Bio for considering to abolish the death penalty, noting that Sierra Leone and the United Kingdom had a lot in common.
Speaking at the meeting, Director of Education in the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, FCDO, Alisha Herbert, reiterated their delight in the steps taken by President Bio on the radical inclusion policy and other areas to boost the free quality education initiative.
Addressing the team, President Bio said that he was happy to receive them, especially when they were in the country to talk about his government’s flagship programme. He thanked the British government for their continued support to Sierra Leone, adding that there would be no headway in this present century without quality education and that was why his government was focused on human capital development.
However, he said there are challenges in other areas of governance, but that his government had prioritized education by allocating 21% of government’s annual budget to the sector, noting that it was a foundation for sustainable development.
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