By Prince J Musa in Kenema
430 youths on the 27th of August 2022, graduated in various skills training courses from the Eastern Technical University (ETU) in Kenema through funding support from World Bank that was facilitated by the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education.
They graduated in programmes such as tailoring, solar restoration, plumbing, electrical installation, carpentry and joinery, block laying, catering, dressmaking and decoration, and computer designing.
The Acting Director of Planning, Development and Quality Assurance at ETU who served as the focal person for the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme, Sumaila Banni Eillah Sesay Jr. said the grant was to empower young people for self–reliance in the region.
Sesay said over one thousand five hundred students applied but only four hundred and thirty were successful.
In his statement the Vice Chancellor of ETU and also Principal Professor, Mohamed Tailu Lahai told the gathering that education is a constitutional mandate which every responsible government is obliged to provide its citizens. He said the vision of the new direction government to bring free quality education was not a mistake toward the development of Sierra Leone.
Prof. Lahai said that 60% of the world population constitute youths and 40% are unemployed, which is a security threat, and believed learning skills will enable the youths to be self-employed and even employ other people.
He challenged the graduates to utilize the skills acquired and serve as agents of motivation to other youths in the community. He commended the government for providing the resources to empower the youths so that they can contribute positively to the development of Sierra Leone, He appreciated the lecturers for their service to the nation.
The Grant Manager, Skills Development Fund Secretariat under the Ministry of Technical and Higher education, Peter Kaindameh, said youths are only considered for national development when they have skills that can contribute to their development and their community.
“Make us proud upon your graduation, so that more funds will come for other youths to benefit from skills development’’, Kaindameh stated.
He commended the ETU administration for adding to the number of beneficiaries who were selected based on the good proposal sent to the Ministry and encouraged the grandaunts not to keep the knowledge gained but to apply it for the benefit of others, saying that the World Bank team will soon be evaluating the project.
In his Keynotes address on behalf of the ministry, the Director of TVET Abu-Bakarr Senesie congratulated the graduating men and women for their commitment to the training, to the very end.
He said the action taken by them will serve as an eye- opener to other young people to embrace skills training which facilitates fast income generation. He said policymakers including development partners and private investors need to support the process while the ministry stands to provide the enabling environment.
Senesie said the TVET policy aims to develop the middle-level manpower that will help reduce abject poverty.
He also spoke about the government’s vision to introduce students loan scheme come next year which will help young people.
He called on the graduands to make use of the skills and technics acquired from the training and encouraged other youths to take skills development as the best means to develop themselves.
The Registrar of the ETU who chaired the ceremony John Juana said the training was done by tutors and lecturers free of cost.
Mariama Kanneh one of the successful students from the solar installation department described the training as important, saying that it has empowered her to become self-employed, adding that it will enable them to engage themselves fully and contribute to the development of their homes and family.
She called on other young people to see skills development as the best way to avoid being misused and dumped by some politicians. She commended the government for providing such an opportunity and called on her colleagues to make good use of the knowledge acquired.
Copyright © Politico Online (29/08/22)
