As the thread of growth in society depends upon the quality of education that is being imparted and the role played by schools in moulding a nation’s future by facilitating all-round development of its future citizens, the Shri Gurud Wara Sahib Sierra Leone over the weekend distributed one hundred and fifty (150) Baba Guru Nanak Scholarships to private school pupils at the Jeety House, Lumley.
In his keynote address, the Head of the Baba Guru Nanak Scholarship Fund, who doubles as Managing Director of Jeety Trading Company, Mohinder Bir Singh Sachdeva, emphasized that their main aim is to complement the effort of the government in the promotion of free quality education for all, as education forms the foundation of any society. He stressed that school is the foremost fountain of knowledge, and children are exposed to acquiring knowledge in various fields of education in order to contribute meaningfully to society.
Mr. Sachdeva noted that since the government is paying school fees for pupils in public schools, they thought it prudent to pay one-year school fees for students and backed it up with school materials like bags, uniforms, and books to the tune of three hundred and fifty million Leones in old notes to meet the demands from parents and school authorities. He narrated that they went through a rigorous process of identifying beneficiaries for the scholarship in various private schools within the Western Area, both urban and rural. He assured the kids that they have plans to extend it to 350 if only they continue to work hard to pursue their academic quest.
In his address, Chargé d’affaires, High Commission of India, Pankaj Kumar Sharma, commended the Shri Gurud Wara Sahib Sierra Leone for their foresight in cushioning the difficulty in terms of payment of a year’s school fees and helping the kids with school materials. He stressed that it is widely accepted that the learning process is instrumental in shaping one’s personality to deal with situations in life.
He highlighted the cordial and warm relationship based on common values and a shared vision between the India and Sierra Leone governments that dates back almost six decades. He stressed that the India community is committed to being a reliable partner for Sierra Leone in its development journey through soft loans, scholarships, and capacity building.
Mr. Sharma noted that the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC) is the leading capacity-building platform of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Instituted in 1964, ITEC is one of the oldest institutionalized arrangements for international capacity building, having trained more than 200,000 officials from over 160 countries in both the civilian and defence sectors. He stressed that ITEC schemes and ICCR scholarships are very popular in Sierra Leone. In comparison to the number of scholarships awarded, a large number of students apply for them.
In his remarks, Mr. Harish Agnani admonished the kids to continue to work hard to benefit from the scholarship scheme, as there are more kids that need such a benefit, and urged parents to support their child’s academic pursuit. He noted that parents are the most influential people in a child’s life and have the unmatched power to direct and motivate them to focus on their education.
In his remarks, Mr. Ishmael Alfred Charles commended the initiative to sponsor kids in the private school, as some parents are having difficulties sponsoring their kids, and noted that the sick pikin project also benefits from the scholarship, as this helps the kids in the recovering process and allows them to develop their human resource beliefs, empathy for others, and the ability to help people who are less fortunate than themselves.
In his remarks, the coordinator of the scholarship scheme, Brother Abdulai Bah, thanked the head of the Baba Guru Nanak Scholarship for the confidence reposed in him, assured them that his team will continue to attract needy pupils in collaboration with the schools, and catalogued the criteria they will put in place to spot more beneficiaries. He mentioned some challenges faced in schools, especially those that do not have bank accounts, and hoped they would put in place a proper accounting system.
The program climaxed with the symbolic distribution of bags, bank slips, and assorted school materials. The vote of thanks was moved by Mrs. Isatu Dolly Konjoi and Ms. Saffiatu Sillah on behalf of the parents and pupils, respectively. They reassured Shri Gurudwara Sahib Sierra Leone that they will do their utmost to continue to meet the expectation of being part of the Baba Guru Nanak Scholarship and expressed their profound thanks and appreciation for the support.
