By Ibrahim Karim Bangura (Tanko)
In a bid to upgrade education in a post-conflict nation, the Marampa and Maforki Community Development Committee (CDC) has given education scholarships to 500 students.
The funds come from CDS’s community development fund, consisting 1% of the gross annual value of the raw iron ore being marketed by Marampa Mines Limited (MML).
The scholarship scheme was earlier unveiled on April 2023.
President Bio emphasized that the community development fund (CDF) to the people of Lunsar had the potential to uplifting students’ education at university and those at Tech-Voc institutions for 2023/24 academic year.
He said students who are facing encounters to acquire tertiary education have stood to benefit from the chiefdom.
CDC believes that investing in education is the best empowerment young people will gain as the investment hopes to brighten the future of the community.
In an exclusive interview with the Chairman of Community Development Committee, Foday Sakida Kabia, said the main objective is to bring development in the chiefdom entirely in the areas of education, agriculture, housing, water, road network etc.
CDC notes that the social corporate scheme is strictly is on merit-based.
“We are satisfied with the huge support of MML for their timely interventions. At present, 300 students of Tech-Voc institutes and 210 university students have benefited from the scholarship scheme.”
“The $ 1.7 million dollars is purely meant for community developments. Overall, we are delighted to make mention of the 500 candidates who’ve made it in this year’s academic enrollment,” CDC’s chairman said.
In a similar note, His Majesty PC Bai Koblo Queen II, told this medium that the introduction of the scholarship program by CDC-Lunsar is an apt idea.
This is because, he went on, education is a life-time nation building particularly for a post war country like Sierra Leone, adding that the scholarship process was transparent.
“As a critical stakeholder of the chiefdom, I do believe in quality education and MML is doing well in promoting human capital development over the years, and we strongly trust that they will do more in the future,” he affirmed.
Musa Kanu, a first year student of Fourah Bay Colleague, University of Sierra Leone, was delighted as he praised the scholarship scheme to be a huge plus to his academic path, taking in consideration the present economic crisis in the country.
“The selection was good and it was like many were called but few were chosen; the interview was based on merit,” he said.
In other related development, the CDC has aided six schools with a donation costing at NLe 216 million Leones with additional salary support for volunteering teachers in the community.
The Principal of Alhaji Memorial Secondary School in Lunsar, Makalay Bah, disclosed that NLe 36 million Leones was given to 6 schools within the municipality of Lunsar town.
“My school is a government assisted school, and I have nine teachers but only one teacher is having a pin code (meaning only one teacher is receiving government salary). We are happy for CDC and MML for their wonderful opportunity,” she praised the mining company.