By Fasalie Sulaiman Kamara
The Archbishop of Freetown, Edward Tamba Charles says the old students of Yengema Secondary School in Kono district must ensure the bell rings "loudly and proudly" as the school turns 50 years on 7 December 2014. The school is the second to turn 50 in the district after Jaiama Secondary School achieved the feat in 2010.
He made this pronouncement at a news conference at Santanno House in Freetown last week as he read out from a letter written by the Diaspora wing of the school.
The letter recounted their contributions towards the school through which they built a library for the school at the end of the war, adding that they planned to refurbish the school chapel which was started by the founding father of the school, Father Ray Barry.
The Diaspora wing encouraged every old pupil to visit the school ahead of its 50th year celebrations on 7th December 2014.
“Our task would be made more straightforward if we had a well established active YOSA, with vibrant branches or representatives in Kono, Kenema and Freetown" they wrote, adding that since the end of the war the school "lacks a Board of Governors with only a barely functioning CTA”. They committed themselves to being instrumental in providing expertise in the in-service training of teachers for the school.
Speaking, the YOSA Interim National Chairman, Emmanual Senessie said ”Yengema Secondary School is the first secondary school in Kono to get distinctions in GCE “O” Level in 1969 “ adding that in 1973, the school won the National Essay Competition for secondary schools in senior categories.
Senessie said they were not the best and brightest pupils in Sierra Leone but that what they had then was "a dedicated principal called Father Barry, an Irish priest” and that there were Sierra Leonean who also demonstrated devotion to their work. He said the alumni of the school needed to take a retrospective look at YSS as if they did, they would count on their achievements.
”So as we celebrate our 49th anniversary, are we ready to plough back some of the benefits we have reaped?" he asked his fellow alumni, urging every pupil - past and present - to make the same sacrifices that Father Barry and other teachers made in the past. He said they should not wait until things had collapsed completely before helping out. “The time for action is now!” the interim president urged, before adding: “Golden Jubilee celebration on 7th December, 2014 is a golden opportunity for us to turn things around for Yengema Secondary School in terms of infrastructure, teachers and teaching and learning material”. He noted that the UK branch had already started and that they were very passionate about the school.
The chairman of the occasion, Wilfred Bankole Gibson called on every old pupil to come together for the school. “The school wants to get more until it gets enough” he said.
(C) Politico 12/12/13
