By Foday Moriba Conteh
The International Islamic Primary, Junior and Senior Secondary School founded in April 2015, has on Sunday 15th January 2023 held its 4th Annual Graduation and Prize Giving Ceremony at the Freetown City Council Auditorium on Wallace Johnson Street in Freetown.
Giving an overview of the Islamic Center for Education, Dawa and Research (ICEDAR), the Director, Sheik Farouq Bah, said that the Islamic Center was established based on the request from members of the Islamic community in order to have some orientation about Islam, adding that they started by organizing lectures on a weekly basis.
He stated that the weekly lectures attracted a huge turnout and based on that they deemed it fit to establish a place where they will be meeting which later became the Islamic Center for Education, Dawa and Research (ICEDAR) situated on Circular Road, Central Freetown.
Sheik Farouq Bah further informed all that the Islamic Center coves 3 phases which includes education comprising of the International Islamic Primary Junior and Senior Secondary School etc. the Dawa and the Research.
The Deputy Education Secretary of the Islamic Center for Education, Dawa and Research, Dr Chernor Ibrahim Bah said that the International Islamic Primary Junior and Senior Secondary School were founded in 2015 with 4 classes (Class 1 to 3 and JSS 1) and with less than 100 pupils.
He said with a lot of efforts made the school currently has a Nursery, Primary school from Classes 1-6, a Junior Secondary school from JSS 1-3 and a Senior Secondary School from SSS1 to SSS 3 with 900 pupils in total.
The Deputy Education Secretary informed the gathering that the school is an Anglo Arabic School with 60 percent English and 40 percent Arabic.
He stated that the mission of the school is to turn out pupils with requisite knowledge in skills training, values, good character and desirable attitudes well prepared for the further levels of education and better placed to succeed in this world and the hereafter.
Dr. Chernor Ibrahim Bah maintained that the school is run by a group of eminent and experienced staff in education (Islamic and Secular) and general administration who make up the Board of Governors and a Principal, who is the administrative head, adding that all administrative and teaching staff of the school are trained and qualified in their various disciplines from recognized universities in or outside Sierra Leone and that the school and all its activities is monitored by the Islamic Center for Education, Dawa and Research.
On his part, the Western Area Fullah Tribal Head, Mohamed Sajor Jalloh, commended the Islamic Center for Education, Dawa and Research and International Islamic Primary Junior and Senior Secondary School for their tremendous strides made towards impacting members of the Islamic community and beyond.
He said that the good work of the Islamic Center in the country cannot be overemphasized; he further called on them to consider establishing the Islamic Center for Education, Dawa and Research in other parts of the country.
During the ceremony, pupils from both French and English Department and Anasheed Brothers gave contributions. Closing the ceremony was the distribution of Prizes and Certificates by the School Certificate Committee.
