October 22, 2020 (232News)
FREETOWN – Sierra Leone First Lady Madam Fatima Maada Bio visited Her Alma Mater, Ansarul Islamic Secondary School for girls in Koidu City where she made donation and also officially opened the Modern Solar powered borehole for the community around the Ansarul Islamic Secondary School for girls in Koidu City.
In her keynote Address to the pupils of Ansarul, Her Excellency the First Lady Madam Fatima Maada Bio expressed her excitement to be at the school during the International Day of the Girl Child, which is no coincidence.
Reminiscing on her school days, Madam Fatima Maada Bio gave a synopsis of the benefits of standing out in class, as she her school fees were paid through scholarships throughout her studies, owing to the fact that she was a member of the Volley Ball Society, an enviable debater at the language and debating society, all of which had scholarships as benefits for the Star pupils.
She went on to thank the Ansarul mission and founders of the school, for giving her the opportunity to be educated and escape child marriage, which was their common faith, as pupils got sad many times when their colleagues were taken out of school to be married off to older men.
First Lady encouraged girls of Her Alma Mater to take advantage of this opportunity to educate them, using David Sengeh as an example of the bright minds that Sierra Leone can boast of, while challenging them to produce more First Ladies and Presidents.
She warned them to refrain from spying or any form of examination malpractice, as it will deter their effort to breaking the glass ceiling.
In her conclusion, the First Lady announced that each girl in Ansarul Islamic school will benefit from the distribution of the Hands Off Our Girls sanitary pads and it will cover them for a whole year.
Making a statement on behalf of the management of the school, the principal, Mrs Jalloh, appreciated the effort of the First Lady with the Hands Off Our Girls and the items she had provided for the school.
She called on the First Lady to be making regular donations, as they are challenged with lots of things such as, the lack of a computer lab, dilapidated school structures that need urgent renovation, and so on.
The Chairman of the Ansarul Mission gave a brief background of the school, stating the importance of government’s flagship program and the Hands Off Our Girls in the district, admonishing parents to ensure their girls stay in school, as water, which is the common excuse for girls to be out of school, has been made available.
From the Ministry of Higher Education, the Minster, Professor Aiah Kpakima called on the pupils of Ansarul to work hard and use the books donated judiciously, as the only direct gateway to exit poverty is through education, stating that the construction of the University of Kono will be of benefit to the district, if the pupils work hard to gain admission into the university.
Unlike other manual boreholes in the community that dry up during the dry season, the new built borehole will supply safe drinking water all year round.
