New Vision for Education

It was not my fault Was it my fault to be born a girl? Why has it been so difficult to be me? The battered life I now live is the relic of age-long discrimination and subordination of all women in my community. Countless numbers  of girls are suffering through the same ordeal shoved down my throat . Why the loud silence to such a disease with conspicuously devastating effects? I was only eight years old, if I can still remember. Or perhaps even younger when men (very old ones) started investing in my sexuality. Men older that my father, my uncles started bringing gifts saying jokingly “ mother-in-law, this money is for my new wife’s nappy.” Or perhaps, as it turned out to be, it wasn’t a joke at all. As I grew up, more gifts, money and favours took a different pace. My mother and father seemed proud to have been the parent of such beautiful fruit. I experienced the title of ‘wife’ at a very tender age. This all seemed so ‘normal’ in my village that I also started conceding to be

Democracy must go to school! I have never really woken up until today when I set my eyes on these words from former US president, "Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of a democracy, therefore, is education." -Franklin D Roosevelt.  A few steps on, the words of former UN Secretary General shot at me from another chart on a wall. "Education is a human right with immense power to transform. On its foundation rest the cornerstones of freedom, democracy and sustainable human development."-Kofi Annan.   Questions shot out of every corner inside my head! If education is so crucial to the freedom, democracy and sustainable development, and we do have an educational system, then one of our task then is  to focus on the training of our next generation in a way that makes them productive citizens able to champion their personal and communal development. What can we do as a nation to ensure

Hope, Where can I find you here? On the streets of Freetown: by Alusine Barrie Oh hope! Give up not though As thy courage worn I thin and saggy Crossing cycles of seasons you stood my camel Crossing endless nights of toil convincing Weakened phalanges to keep Grinding you bore my burden Through the dark dank blackholes of corporate Salone sniffing Like angry dogs of beautiful African huntsmen; nothing Thoroughly stuffed with fellow prisoners, panting In a bale of new junk clothes headed for Africa The young walls of my heart broken, crumbling, Exiled in my own country You kept me moving Oh hope! Give up not though As thy courage worn I thin and saggy Throat dry like sweetened rivers of African Sahara of Deserts lost and thoroughly stripped yet You kept a slow and steady makambo in the quiet of my mind Crossing cycles of seasons you stood my camel Shoes giving up the cool of molten tarmac of days in vain Perforated by a million stitches of

I have a dream! I have a dream of a Sierra Leone where educated citizens come together to tackle poverty, corruption, and promote sustainable development using the mighty instrument of Education. This blog will be a reflection of my thoughts on education in and out of the classroom. It will also reflect the thoughts of fellow Sierra Leoneans as we sail through the ups and downs of making this dream a reality.  This blog will create a platform for sharing perspectives and ideas with fellow educators and those working to see real change in the African continent. I believe in the truth that a society is never doomed to fail forever! Every point can be a new beginning. Let's begin!