By Theresa Kef Sesay
President Julius Maada Bio in Magbass, Northern Province, on Friday 12 February 2021 commissioned the first senior secondary school at Magbass, named after the President in the Mamuntha and Mayossoh Sections in Kholifa Rowalla Chiefdom, northern Sierra Leone.
The school was constructed by the country’s Minister of Youth Affairs, Mohammed Orman Bangura, who is a native of the area in the Tonkolili District.
Welcoming President Bio and entourage to the town, the Regent Chief, Delvin Sankoh, expressed gratitude for the visit, adding that that was the first time a sitting President was visiting the township because of the terrible conditions of the road leading to the area.
Acting Principal for the school, Mohamed Conteh, who also spoke on behalf of parents, described the day as remarkable, adding that they were happy for the development, because before then their children walked miles from the township to Magburaka to attend a senior secondary school.
In his statement to the gathering, President Bio recalled that he was actually visiting the town for the second time after he first went there to engage the people during the Ebola outbreak, and had even gone to the sugar factory they had there at the time.
He expressed delight in commissioning the school, saying that education was the main focus of his government’s manifesto and encouraged them to make use of the opportunity.
The President also encouraged parents to send their kids to school, especially the girl child, adding that when girls were educated, they would help bring more development to the township. He thanked the minister of youth affairs for such a huge step and thanked the people for the warm welcome they gave him and his entourage.
