By Mohamed T Massaquoi.
Pujehun Youth for Development (KNSL/PYD) has awarded 33 scholarships to both primary and secondary school pupils in the district. Speaking to Politico the international liaison officer of KNSL/PYD, Edward Mando said the provision of the scholarships was to prepare pupils of Pujehun district to "become useful citizens".
He said the criteria used in identifying the pupils were based on academic performance, emphasising that mechanisms had been set up to monitor the performance of the pupils. He said his organisation had been awarding scholarship since 2003 with the aim of improving the lives of people through peace-building, quality education and to discourage the notion of school dropout.
Mando disclosed that the support included school fees, uniforms, text books and exercise books, adding that their organisation would also considered other basic expenditures based on merits. He said the retention of the award throughout secondary education would depend on the progress a beneficiary was making in school by passing their exams, adding that the scholarship had an extension to university with adherence to the conditions attached.
He furthered: "initiation into secret societies at an early age, teenage pregnancy and failing twice in a single class would prevent anyone from being a beneficiary of the scholarship.
He revealed that this scholarship award had benefitted two graduates from the Easter Polytechnics and the Sierra Leone Opportunities Industrialization Centre (SLOIC).
The principal of one of the beneficiary schools, Holy Rosary encouraged parents to pay attention to educating their children which he described as a "pre-requisite requirement for development". Philip Mando told Politico that one of the beneficiaries of Holy Rosary secondary, Rugiatu Barrie admonished her colleagues to take their academic work seriously and "forget about immoral behaviours".
(C) Politico 28/01/14
