The maiden edition of Julius Maada Bio SLPP Summer School has been widely appreciated by parents in Constituency 050 in Magburaka Town, Tonkolili district, northern Sierra Leone, where half a thousand pupils are currently benefiting from a four weeks intensive free summer school, initiated by President Julius Maada Bio.
Speaking to this medium over the weekend, a parent, Abdul Sesay, who has three kids attending the summer school, said the initiative of President Bio has impacted a lot of benefit on his kids.
He said the summer school has greatly improved their kids in terms of the various subjects they offer in school.
"I effectively monitor them to see how they are during classes", Sesay said, adding that teachers were up to the task.
He said there was need for a continuity of the summer school in the following years.
"My child in SSS three has been gaining a lot to face the forthcoming West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (WASSCE)."
He thanked President Bio for extending his gesture to the children of Tonkolili district and also expressed the need for the programme to be extended to cover chiefdom headquarter towns; not only limiting it to the District Headquarters in the region, he suggested.
Hawanatu Kamara, a petty trader and a single parent of four, told this medium that the summer school did not only benefit the kids but the parents as well. "The summer school keeps our children busy during the whole of this holiday", she said, adding that she has noticed tremendous improvement in her kids despite the fact that she is an illiterate.
Ibrahim Sesay, boasted that his class four girl has quickly learned how to write formal and informal letters as a result of attending the summer school.
The District Coordinator, JMB SLPP Free Summer School, Tonkolili, Robert Salia Kamara expressed his satisfaction over the turn out.
"The turnout is more than what we expected", he said, adding that the programme was not widely publicised otherwise there would have been more kids to accommodate at the National Commercial Secondary School which is the only centre in the district unlike Bombali which has two centre.
He said the summer school is a plus to the district considering education being an engine for the development of any country. He pointed out that the cooperation they receive from parents, teachers as well as the kids has been great and extremely encouraging.
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He noted that from his assessment, the parents have called on the organizers to include remote areas at chiefdom level for the participation of kids in those areas if the summer school is to continue next year.
He referred to the teachers (over sixty) as being selected from the best performing schools in the district.
According to the pupils, the summer school is a blessing in disguised. They thanked the President for his radical inclusion moves which they described as fantastic with positive impact on them as learners.
Osman Sesay expressed special thanks and appreciation to the organizers saying that the quality of the teachers has helped him acquire first-hand knowledge about how to face the BECE public examination. As for Musu Kargbo, a class six pupil, she expressed hope that she will apply what she has been taught during the summer school to come out with flying colours at the National Primary School Examination (NPSE).
It could be recalled that the summer school was launched early July, this year, out of President Bio's desire to improve the educational sector through the Free Quality Education which is the flagship programme of the government. The President is using his personal resources to organise such successful summer school with teachers been highly motivated to develop the country's human capita.
However, it is hoped that certificates will be issued to the best performing pupils and teachers.
