By: Aaron Bundu Lahai
On Saturday 7th December 2024, the administration, staff and pupils of the Saint Francis Secondary School Makeni in collaboration with the Old Makeni Franciscans Association known as OMFA celebrated the school 66th speech day and prize giving ceremony at the school compound on Azzolini Highway in Makeni. The Honourable Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh served as Guest Speaker of the ceremony. In his keynote address, Vice President Jalloh declared his readiness to work and support the start for the construction of the administrative building, and pledged his own contribution towards the construction of the building project as somebody who like education and has invested in education.
He explained that people go to school to get technical competence and have knowledge like becoming an engineer or doctor, that can be used to work and earn a living as well as function in society. He highlighted social intelligence as the second most important reason people go to school. Furthering that technical competence like having a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer can only give one a job but it is social intelligence that allows one to grow and be appreciated, and become a leader in the future. He cited some past pupils of the school who have transition from technical competence to social intelligence that are doing well and respected such as Honourable Alpha Khan and Timothy Kabba.
Vice President Jalloh informed the audience about the investment made by Government in the educational sector. He described the separation of the higher education from the basic education into two distinct ministries as one critical step taken by the Bio’s Government in 2018, noting that the decision was made to ensure that the Basic Education Ministry focus on the free quality education that was initiated to cater for children without resources to go to school. He narrated the allocation of twenty-two (22%) percent budget to education, noting that Government is happy with the outcome over the last six years, citing the ninety-eight percent pass rate among the 2024 BECE (Basic Education Certificate Examination) candidates of the St, Francis Secondary School.
The Honourable Vice President again informed about the recruitment of over ten thousand teachers in the last couple of years while disclosing about the recruitment of four thousand three hundred teachers in 2025. He stated that Government is investing in the development of teachers and human capacity, because Government wants to improve learning outcomes. He added that having qualify teachers improve learning outcomes. He told the audience that Government has increase the salary of teachers and will continue to do so by paying the last fifteen percent of the forty-five percent bargained on in January 2025.
Vice President Jalloh intimated the audience about Government focus on early childhood learning, stressing that Government is investing in early childhood learning by building nursery schools especially for people, because it is critical. He outlined gender parity between boys and girls in primary and junior secondary schools, this he attributed to the investment Government is making in education. He revealed the on-going installation of solar panels to over five hundred schools and Internet connectivity to over four hundred schools across the country by Government of Sierra Leone. He told the attendees that Government is expanding the school feeding programme in the fifteen out of the sixteen districts targeting two thousand five hundred schools with eight hundred thousand beneficial pupils, he noted that access to meals by pupils improve learning outcomes and reduce malnutrition.
Vice president Jalloh intimated that Government is creating an alternative financing model for higher education and technical education. He enlightened that with one hundred and thirty-seven thousand pupils attempting the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination, one hundred and twenty thousand of the pupils attempting the exam would like to enter higher learning institutions. He maintained that there is need to build the infrastructure, recruit more lecturers, and create the opportunity for the pupils to gain admission into the universities, though these initiatives require additional resources. He disclosed that Government is initiating the alternative financing model to look for resources outside the State fund to support the alternative model transformation.
Vice President Jalloh expressed happiness and pleasure to join in the celebration. He challenged the pupils of St Francis School to make use of the opportunity provided by Government to get to universities, adding that the pupils are lucky to have the University of Makeni known as UNIMAK, that came into existence through St Francis School. He emphasized that UNIMAK has stood out as a competitive university offering courses that the big universities are offering in Sierra Leone.
Stephen Saio Conteh, the Acting Principal of the Senior School section of St Francis Secondary School reported that the school has an enrolment of one thousand and thirty pupils for the junior school while the senior school has one thousand three hundred and ninety-one pupils. He explained that two hundred and seventy-two pupils got eight subjects out of the two hundred and seventy-three candidates with five pupils scoring an aggregate of ten in the 2024 BECE. He further reported that two hundred and forty-nine pupils sat to the 2024 WASSCE with one hundred and seventy-four scoring between five to nine subjects.
Principal Conteh named collaboration and consultation as the tools the school administration has used to promote effective communication, improve the school problem-solving mechanism for the promotion of academic excellence. He informed about the school administration regular staff meetings to address arising issues while Community Teachers Association meeting is held every term to promote cooperation and effective participation of parents.
Some of the challenges facing the school as highlighted by the Acting Principal include insufficient trained and qualified teachers, lack of administrative building for the school, refurbishing and restocking of the laboratories, financial burden on the school for the payment of stipend to teachers not on payroll, the unpredictable pattern of payment of school subsidies, and inadequate furniture for the pupils. He called on all Franciscans, parents and other education stakeholders to collaborate with the administration for the actualization of the school’s dream.
The Senior Prefect of the School Eric Sesay expressed appreciation for the roles play by all towards the 66th anniversary, and expressed gratitude to the school administration for hosting the ceremony. He extended a special thanks to the teachers of the school for their guidance that have shaped the pupils’ academic journey and characters, and encouraged his fellow pupils to strive for academic excellence.
