By Morlai Sesay
In his zest to recognize the significant role of education in President Bio's sustainable development goal drive, Hon. Sidie Mohamed Tunis, the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, revealed a remarkable initiative fund of Ten Billion old Leones dedicated to supporting tertiary students in Sierra Leone across various courses. He unveiled the Scheme on Friday, February 2nd, 2024, while addressing University students from FCB, IPAM, and Milton Margai Technical University during the final day of the ongoing ECOWAS Seminar at the Freetown International Conference Center, Bintumani.
Speaker Tunis mentioned that sixty-seven university students have already benefited through the One Love Salone Foundation, highlighting the continuity of such an enviable effort. He emphasized their commitment to expanding the program, aiming to grant scholarships to one hundred students this year and targeting one hundred and fifty students in the coming year.
The initiative, conceived by the performance-rated Speaker Tunis and his wife, Mrs. Nabeela Ferida Tunis, is a testament to their dedication to giving back to society by providing education opportunities for the country's youth.
He said that in addition to scholarships, the project includes providing laptops to second-year students. The objective is to alleviate the challenges of rushed assignments and facilitate convenient access to learning materials. "Two Billion Leones have already been allocated to support this aspect of the project for the 2023/2024 academic year, “he said.
Acknowledging the positive strides made by female students, Speaker Tunis expressed the intention to encourage more girls to benefit from the scheme, recognizing their current
outperformance compared to male counterparts.
As Speaker Tunis concluded, the overarching goal aligns with President Julius Maada Bio's vision to enhance human capital investment through education. "The project aims to elevate the country's literacy rate, positioning Sierra Leone competitively on the global stage,” affirms the ECOWAS speaker.
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