By- Aruna Rashed Toma Bangura

The United Bank of Africa-Sierra Leone (UBA-SL) has through the UBA Foundation, in partnership with the Ministry Basic and Senior Secondary Education last Friday 11^th November 2022 launched the Third Edition of its National Essay Competition at the Bintumani International Conference Centre Aberdeen, West of Freetown.

Speaking at the launching, UBA-SL Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, (MD-CEO), Usman Isiaka informed that the National Essay Competition is an initiative of the UBA Foundation, which started in 2011 as part of UBA Group’s campaign to provide access to education for the less privileged children across the Africa.

He said this year’s NEC marks Third Edition in Sierra Leone, and informed that the project is working in partnership with the MBSSE.

The UBA-SL MD-CEO entreated pupils at the Senior Secondary School level across the country to exploit the opportunity by participating in the life-changing academic competition.

Usman Isiaka explained that the essay should be done in handwritten, reiterating that the competition will not accept typed and computerized essays. He therefore encouraged competitors in the Western Areas; Rural and Urban to submit their essays at UBA-SL headquarters on Charlotte Street in Freetown, and at any of the bank’s regional offices in the country.

The UBA-SL MD-CEO said the essays submitted by pupils at the 16 district level will be marked by a panel of academic judges who will be carefully selected by the MBSSE and UBA-SL, adding that there will be public announcements of the 12 finalists of the competition in the print and electronic media. The twelve finalists UBA-SL MD-CEO continued, will be reached via the information provided in their respective application forms for the next steps of the competition.

Usman Isiaka said UBASL will provide travel, accommodation and feeding of winners and their supervisors and finalists will be aided to travel to Freetown with either their teachers, parents or guardians to take part in the final rounds.

He said the twelve finalists will write a second essay that will be evaluated for choosing the first, second and third place national winners who will receive a scholarship grant. Usman Isiaka informed that the twelve finalists will adequately defend their essays in a 5minutes interview with the panel of academic judges and get a cut off mark of 40 percent and above in the second rounds of the NEC and the winner will be awarded a laptop computer.

He encouraged competitors to submit their essays in handwritten as the final rounds will be broadcast live on television.

The Board Chairman, UBA-SL, Dr. Claudius Bart Williams told participants that as a board, they remain committed towards supporting the management of UBA-SL in actualizing the bank’s Corporate Social Responsibilities in diverse sectors including education, environment, economic empowerment and special projects.

He recalled that the bank recently donated core subject text books to secondary schools in the 16 districts.

Dr. Bart Williams described the 2^nd Edition of the UBA Foundation NEC as a huge success and announced that the bank has already credited into the different accounts of the past three winners a whopping amount of NLe 100,000 as grant scholarship for their tertiary education. He commended the MBSSE for their support to the initiative, saying that the UBA-SL could not have done it better without the support of the line ministry.

He expressed profound appreciations to the minister and team for the gains the ministry has achieved in actualizing government’s free quality education.

The Director of School Quality Assurance, Management and Resources of the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Madam Francess N. Kamara said the NEC should drive pupils to always showcase themselves in their writing skills. She added that the essays should be original and must be done by the competitors.

She noted that the NEC will compel pupils to be assiduous and studious in their academic works as the competition will take them far and wide.

Kamara continued that the MBSSE has given its full assurance to UBASL in fulfilling their CSR in fulfilling Government’s vision in education. The MBSSE representative noted that NEC will enable the pupils to showcase their cognitive skills.