By Mathew Kanu
A Sierra Leonean based in Sweden, Peagie Foday has awarded scholarship to two junior secondary school pupils of the St. Josephs Secondary School in Makeni under her The Peagie Woobay Scholarship Fund. The bursary will pay their fees and cash for the purchase of books and uniform throughout their secondary school education. The two beneficiaries are Jane Williams and Victoria Kamara. Addressing some 50 children of various secondary schools and parents of the beneficiaries yesterday in Makeni Peagie said the scholarship was awarded on merit after topping an essay writing competition. JSS 2 pupil Victoria Kamara said she appreciated the scholarship which she said would inspire other girls to work harder and be better in future. “With this scholarship I will overcome all challenges and I will forget about all other worldly things” she said, adding “I have made a promise to my parent and the people of this country that I am determined to be a lawyer”. She said that to be able to realise her dream she needed to forget about “all rubbish things like early sex and teenage pregnancy, and concentrate in my studies“.
Another JSS 2 student Jane Williams said the scholarship was a good thing for especially when many girls are so vulnerable in Sierra Leone because they cannot afford to pay their fees”. She said that the future of the girl child education was uncertain because of early pregnancy but that with such scholarship schemes things would change for the better. “I want to be a medical doctor because I want to serve my country by providing medical services for children and mothers and to help end such sicknesses affecting women like fistula”. Jane said that the scholarship would help her achieve this goal. Victoria’s mother, Mamusu Kamara said she was very proud of the Peagie Woobay scholarship fund which she said had given her daughter renewed hope and would improve her knowledge, and motivate her to study harder. “She has been given a task because the scholarship covers her entire secondary education and as a parent I will make sure that she does not lag behind” she said. The chairperson of the Bombali District Human Rights Committee Emilia Kamara said education was a right for girls but asked how free education was for junior secondary school girls in the country. “The road to access education is full of obstacles that debar the education of the girl child in Sierra Leone” she said, adding that opportunities were limited. “With the Peagie Woobay Scholarship Fund many opportunities will be open for girl child education” she said. Speaking to Politico Peagie said that it was important to meet and talk to fifty girls from various secondary schools in Makeni which she said was aimed at inspiring them to compete for the next essay competition later this month. She said she would set up a day care centre in Kabala and in Moyamba for children whose mothers have dropped out of school so they could return to the classroom. She said that her initiative was aimed at complimenting government effort to tackle the dwindling educational level in the country. Mayor of Makeni, Sunkarie Kabbah Kamara said the Peagie Scholarship Fund had set the platform for many sierra Leoneans in the Diaspora to contribute not only in th education sector but in other development strides of the country in general. (C) Politico 05/09/13
