By Ishmael Sallieu Koroma
As way of contributing to the development of education in the central part of the country, theCentral One University Students’ Association (COUSA) has kicked off with its free holiday summer classes for WASSCE candidates at Rokel Secondary School in Freetown.
Coordinator of the free holiday summer classes, Osman Lamin Turay,said that this year they hope to cater for about two hundred (200) pupils for all of the faculties which includes the Arts, Commercial and Science adding that this is the second time they as an association were organising such an educational initiatives which he said is way to give back to their community.
‘’This is a free summer classes for the SSS 3 pupils. We think that, this is the way we have to give back to the community. We have been doing this for Two years now,’’ he said.
Osman Lamin Turay said that, the summer classes program is in line with their motto ‘learning’’ adding that they hope the pupils will be able to learn a lot and be able to apply themselves in any examination which can helped them refrain themselves from examinational malpractice.
‘’ We do hope that these pupils will learn a lot and be able to apply themselves in any examination and can refrain themselves from examinational malpractice that is the order of the day in our country,’’ Turay lamented.
Turay added that, during the summer school programme, they will be providing quality education and will be treating examinational topics in the WASSCE curriculum thus urging every pupil to be part of it.
Coordinator Turay went to say that since they started the free summer classes, they have not received any funding from any organisation or institution thus urging Sierra Leoneans to invest in education and to support the initiative as they have been only raising funds through their membership
A key stakeholder in the central community, Mr. Brima Bah said that thefree summer school programme is to support pupils who would otherwise be unengaged during their vacation period and also help to prepare them not only for the WASSCE exams but life in tertiary institutions.
‘’This is as well as to inspire and motivate them to learn; counsel them on the abuse of alcohol, drugs and other harmful substances, and ultimately work to get financial and other logistics support for those who may not be able to continue their education without additional/external intervention.This year, we intend to expand the scheme by extending to weekend engagements after the opening of school and supporting a full month remedial engagement with them a month to the WASSCE exams,’’ Bah added.
Bah, therefore call on members of the Freetown Central Community, at home and broad, lovers of education and all those who believe that they can increase the chances of many kids in the community by giving them this kind of support, directly or indirectly through their dedicated volunteers of teachers and coordinators of an organization like COUSA.
