Saint Francis High School held its 64th Day of the Speech and Awards Ceremony over the weekend at the school grounds in the town of Makeni. Held on the theme “Education for Sustainable Economic Prosperity”, the event brought together the Old Makeni Franciscan Association (OMFA), local authorities, parents and supporters who appreciate the remarkable progress made by the school over the years.
The event was presided over by a prominent politician and old Franciscan, Dr. Richard Konteh (The Unifier), who commented that the recipient of the awards should continue to do well and those without awards should work harder to gain recognition. Education, he said, should be in their lifestyle and in the way they impact society. “There is a need to invest more in education,” he said, continuing to thank the Catholic faith for supporting and nurturing education in the country over the years.
Dr. Konteh thanked the two principals for continually holding up the school’s banner and also praised the outgoing OMFA President for a job well done in three years. “The Franciscans must know that they are friends and brothers and that is why the elections must not divide them,” he advised those who contested the OMFA elections.
One of the speakers, Dr. Denis Luseni, spoke about ‘the role of Alumni Associations in promoting national development.
He revealed that Alumnus must be part of a national team committed to solving challenges in agriculture, manufacturing, climate change, etc. “We must not depend too much on donors. But we must be seen aligning our vision with that of the country. You have to build a well-educated and enlightened society, ”he said and advised that they place themselves in good positions of trust. Dr. Luseni frowned on bad test practice, which is caused by a lack of discipline, but advised students to adopt a positive mental attitude. “We must develop a documented action plan for action. Let’s channel our energy into a common vision and plan well to get our country to where it needs to be. We must guide our students with professional development and provide scholarship funds for opening a scholarship scheme to award partial and full scholarships”, he advised and stated that alumni should help students with learning materials.
Bishop Nathallio Paganelli, one of the school’s owners, encourages everyone to strive to serve one another for a better society. “The strength of a school is working as a team to have a better academic environment,” he said, asking the government for the necessary support, such as annual school subsidies, which they have not received. “We need the subsidies to develop the students,” he added, lamenting that they have to look elsewhere for funding to boost the school’s activities.
Bishop Paganelli encouraged the Alumni Association to work as a team. “There is a big political division in the country. Which is not good for development. We have religious tolerance, which should be copied and implemented. Sierra Leone is not a poor country. We have a lot of natural resources, but the people are poor.” he observed and continued advising the new executive to work to have good laboratories to prepare the students. “I am grateful to the Ministry of Education for providing school supplies,” he said.
Giving the Principal’s Report for the 2021-2022 academic year, Ezekiel Thulla Junior, said that the school has had a successful academic year despite some setbacks. “We are happy to return the school to a single shift system and have a newly dug well water facility. The school received teaching and learning materials. Also in September another shipment of laboratory materials was received, ”he reported, adding that they are challenged. With teachers trained and qualified in some specialized subject areas, there is an unpredictable pattern of subsidy payments from the government, and they are challenged to raise funds to pay teachers, not on the government payroll. The director has referred to his teachers as superstars over the years.
One of the Old Boys of the school, Alpha Timbo, who happens to be the current Labor Minister, thanked the school authorities for transforming the school from a low performing institution to a high performing one. He encouraged parents to see Saint Francis as a school they can trust to transform their children. He asked the students to take their work seriously and assured them that the Old Boys will continue to support the school.
Makingni City Police Local Unit Commander John Tunday, while giving a safety update on drug abuse, said that the police are fighting hard against illegal drugs, noting that they have fired and charged the staff court found using and in possession of illegal drugs. He urged parents to check their students, especially their rooms and those with whom they associate. “School authorities should keep an eye on students and complain when they are seen in abnormal conditions,” LUC said, continuing that students should make sure they are always proud of themselves. “Say no to drugs if you want to be successful in life. Don’t let others give you drugs, but give you school supplies or scholarships. Let’s join hands to stop this chaos in our society,” he said.
Outgoing OMFA President Joe Hassan Kalokoh stated in his final address after three years of a successful journey that it has been a busy tenure, which he further described as eventful and challenging. He paid tribute to the diaspora chapter and to all those who supported him during his tenure. Kalokoh thanked his team for supporting his administration and urged everyone to work for the development and benefit of the school.
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The keynote speaker, Professor Joe A. Turay, Vice Chancellor of Makeni University, called for a Sierra Leone that enhances sustainable development. All past and present agendas, he said, should help transform the nation into Sweet Sierra Leone. “The recently launched education sector plan should lead the nation to sustainable development. Access to education has increased, but the biggest challenge is the quality and relevance of education that needs to be reviewed,” he said, warning that there is a need to recruit, retrain and support excellent educators; reduce gender disparities in the education sector; provide a safe, healthy and supportive learning environment for all; and increase the use of data and technology in education management. “This will help achieve sustainable economic prosperity for the nation. We must educate for sweet Sierra Leone that is economically diversified and food self-sufficient,” the guest speaker said.
