State House, Freetown, Thursday 20 May 2021– The United Kingdom Special Envoy for Girl’s Education, Helen Grant, today commended His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio for his bold and brave steps in making education a priority.
Grant, who is a UK Member of Parliament, said that they were in Sierra Leone to learn about ways the country had successfully implemented the Free Quality Education and the radical inclusion policy and to also learn how their funds were being utilised.
She said they believed in the successes of the government, adding that they had visited schools in Tombo, Hastings and the School for the Blind.
Madam Grant also commended President Bio for considering to abolish the death penalty, noting that Sierra Leone and the United Kingdom had a lot in common.
Director of Education in the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, FCDO, Madam Alisha Herbert, reiterated their delight in the steps taken by President Bio on the radical inclusion policy and other areas to boost the free quality education initiative.
Addressing the team, President Bio said that he was happy to receive them, especially when they were in the country to talk about his government’s flagship programme. He further thanked the British government for their continued support to Sierra Leone, adding that there would be no headway in this present century without quality education and that was why his government was focused on human capital development.
He also stated that notwithstanding challenges in other areas of governance, his government had prioritised education by allocating 21% of government’s annual budget to the sector, adding that it was a foundation for sustainable development.
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