By Abdul Malik Bangura
Since the Free Quality Education (FQE) Programme was launched by the Government, headed by President Julius Maada Bio, calls have been made by the ruling class and other stakeholders on different occasions to support the initiative in order to achieve its desired goals.
One of the entities that have responded to that clarion call has been the Kingho Mining Company Limited.
The company, operating the New Tonkolili Iron (TIO) Mines, has a major cluster in its Community Development Action Plan (CDAP) to boost education in its three operational chiefdoms of Dansogoia, Simiria and Sambaia in Tonkolili District, Northern Province of the Republic of Sierra Leone.
So far the company has undertaken rehabilitation of a school in Kegbema Community, Dansogoia Chiefdom. The school, which is closer to the Toll Gate from Bumbuna was in a very bad shape and needed very urgent attention. Children in nearby communities had to walk for miles to access improved schools in other towns.
The rehabilitation means that the Kegbema School will provide safe and habitable learning environment for hundreds of children in that particular end of the mining communities. It will also eliminate the walking fatigue and road hazards the pupils were hitherto exposed to during travel time to and from long distance schools.
During the rehabilitation process, children and young people in the village were very happy and expressed that by thanking Kingho Mining Company for its support.
Meanwhile, it is worth noting that the rehabilitation of the school in Kegbema Community is Kingho Mining Company’s adherence to the content of the CDAP which was approved by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA). Also worthy of note is that the project was identified by the community themselves through their Chiefdom Representative Committee (CRC) to help boost education in that part of the country.
Note:
Kingho Mining Company Limited is a subsidiary company of Kingho Investment Company Limited. Kingho Mining is undertaking mining at the New Tonkolili Iron Ore Mines in Sambaia, Dasogoia and Simiria chiefdoms of Tonkolili District, Northern Province of Sierra Leone. It was the Government of Sierra Leone which officially handed over the New Tonkolili Iron Ore Mining site to Kingho Mining Co Ltd on 23rd September 2020.
