By Marilyn King
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AIDS Health Care Foundation (AHF) in collaboration with Planned Parenthood Association Sierra Leone (PPASL), Youth and Child Advocacy Network (YACAN), Sightsavers, and Happy Kids on Friday 14th June, organised Youth Mock Parliament. It was the 1st Youth Mock parliament which was aimed at addressing Comprehensive Sexual Education. During the Mock parliamentary proceedings at the Well of Parliament, Tower Hill in Freetown, AIDS Healthcare Foundation Country Program Director-SL, Miatta Kai Samba highlighted that, the Youth Mock Parliament Session is actually on Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE) and that it’s part of the commemoration of the Day of the African Child.
She added that the Theme for this year’s Day of the African Child, is “Education for all the time is now”, adding that the AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s (AHF) theme for this year’s Day of the African Child is “Fostering Health and Education through Comprehensive Sexual Education”, and that the AHF’s Theme aligned with the Global theme. The Country Director furthered that, the AHF is in partnership with the Parliamentary Health Committee, YACAN , PPASL to organise the Youth Mock Parliament which is focused on Comprehensive Sexual Education otherwise rephrased as Child and Adolescent Health which aims at empowering young people and offers the opportunity for young people to continue to engage and discuss with the Legislative Arms of Government on significant issues relating to health that are crucial for the development of young people.
She pledged her foundation’s support, adding that the AHF will be committed to support and to ensure that whatever resolution they come up with from this debate of the Mock Parliament on Comprehensive Sexual Education would be implemented.
The Deputy Speaker of the Sixth Parliament of the Second Republic of the House of Parliament, Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh while officially inaugurating the session of the Mock Parliament, stated that, Civil Education is important, that it’s very important to the point that, the Generation that is coming after they, the MPs, the Mock Parliamentarians and their colleagues out there will be taking the leadership that will guide the country to the next step, to the next level and to the next layer.
He maintained that they will know and understand what their rights and responsibilities are, what is expected of them and what they need to know and what they should not do. He went on that, it is important that at this stage of their life the young people should take the responsibility on their individual self to know that they are leaders and that, they are no longer the future leaders, they are the leaders of now.
He advised the Youth Mock Parliamentarians to take such opportunity seriously and that they should deliberate whatever issues that’s presented on the floor with seriousness, with dedication and with determination. That they should see it as a responsibility that will come once in a life time.
During the Mock Parliamentary proceedings, a laying of paper on the table of parliament on Child and Adolescent Health and Life Skills was done by the Mock Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Emanuella Emanuel who moved the motion, that Child and Adolescent Health and Life Skills be a standalone or be embedded into the Seven subject in the school Curium. The Mock Leader of the Minority party, Dollicie Kallie supported the motion that Child and Adolescent Health and Life Skills should be embedded into the seven subjects in the school Curriculum. She made her submission that they as minority party are aware, they are dealing with three categories of children who are: Children in School, Children that are not in School and Children in vocational institutions. “We have different streams, the whole idea of having a core subject, is to have a subject that relates with that with a particular area of Studies,” she stated. She went on that, having it as a standalone means people wouldn’t be able to have it as a subject you cannot have someone that is studying robotic, studying consent as a core module, someone that is studying clothing and textile, someone studying gender and abuse to study Child and Adolescent Health and Life Skills otherwise known as Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE) as core module.
The MOCK Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business, Yeanoh Bai Kamara debated on behalf of her majority Members of parliament that, Child and Adolescent Health and Life Skills should be a Standalone subject. In her submission, she stated that the Child and Adolescent Health and Life Skills is only best offered as an independent subject within the school learning Curriculum.
She recommended that, teachers be trained and that adequate fund are provided to ensure that the Children and Adolescent Health and Life Skills standalone. The Mock Speaker of Parliament, Mamoud Barrier posed the Question: Should Child and Adolescent Health and Life Skills be a Standalone subject or embedded into the Seven Subject Curriculum in School? It was resolved that the Ayes have it that Child and Adolescent Health and Life Skills be a standalone subject. And the government motion by the Mock Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education was approved. Immediately after the Mock parliamentary proceedings, the Leader of the Female Parliamentary Caucus, Hon. Veronica Kadie Sesay emphasized that, the young shall grow, and that the youth of the Mock Parliament have shown that they have the right to grow. She continued that, as parliamentarians they will leave the youth to grow and they are also appealing to the teachers and every other person to leave the youth to grow. She maintained that as Honourable Members of Parliament they are impressed with what the youth did during the Mock Parliamentary session. The Chairperson for the Parliamentary Health Committee, Wuyatta Songa thanked the Youth and Child Advocacy Network (YACAN), Planned Parenthood Association-Sierra Leone, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), Sightsavers, Happy Kids, for organising the Mock Parliament, she also appreciated the Health Committee as they worked tirelessly to make the Mock Parliament a fruitful one.
She pledged that the Health Oversight Committee will continue to support the initiative of AIDS Healthcare Foundation in working immensely with young people.
