The national launch of the five (5) years Better Education for Africa’s Rise Project (BEAR-3), funded by the Ministry of Education in Korea through UNESCO, was held at the Eastern Technical University in Kenema.
Delivering the keynote address, the Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Sarjoh Aziz-Kamara, outlined that BEAR-3 will support the agricultural sector, specifically the Feed Salone initiative in the Big 5 Game Changers. A major outcome of this project will be increasing productivity, enhancing food availability, and reducing dependence on imports. Aligned with national development plans, BEAR 3 also focuses on the value chain in respect of certain agricultural products (rice, cocoa, cassava, etc.) and post-harvest management. It will further direct the attention to systems strengthening, such as the establishment of Sector Skills Councils and the development of National Competency/Occupational Standards that will make agriculture attractive to young people and Job Creation in Sierra Leone.
The launching ceremony was attended by various dignitaries across all sectors, including the UN Country Team, the UNESCO Head of Abuja Office and UNESCO Representative to Nigeria – Mr. Abdourahamane Diallo, UNESCO Regional Coordinator – Manish Joshi, the Vice Chancellor and Principal of ETU, Prof. M. T. Lahai, representatives from the MTHE and distinguished guests.
The Deputy Minister emphasised in his Keynote address that the BEAR-3 program is part of the delivery of the ambitious vision to transform Sierra Leone and that all stakeholders have a significant role to play, especially development partners. The development trajectory of this country will be achieved when we fully consolidate the gains of TVET, he said.
Hon. Deputy Minister Sarjoh Aziz-Kamara made it clear that the Ministry is on a journey of TVET transformation, and thanks for the visionary leadership of H.E Rtd. Brig. Dr. Julius Maada Bio. In 2018, President Bio intentionally established the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education with a core mandate to deliver Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a bedrock for sustainable development in Sierra Leone. Their partnership across MDAs and development partners is a demonstration of their unwavering commitment to ensure the population is equipped with the requisite skills and competencies for self-employment and can contribute to sustainable development aligned with SDG 2030, AU Agenda 2063, Continental Education Strategy for Africa, and delivery on the government’s Big-5 game changers.
Adding that, in six years, they have been on a progressive path to change narratives of TVET, to make TVET attractive, and to change perceptions about TVET in Sierra Leone. Essentially, they are building on the significant successes they have made in training over 20,000 people, with the majority being youths and women, funded by the World Bank. SDP ended in June, and we are looking forward to a 2nd generation Skills Development Project. In fulfilling our mandate and delivering on President Bio’s HCD agenda, we have transformed Eastern Polytechnic and MMTU into technical universities. This has set the foundation for TVET and supported strides towards ensuring our population acquires 21st-century skills set for science, technology, and innovation.
Ending his keynote address, Hon. Aziz-Kamara expresses his sincere thanks and appreciation to UNESCO for their commitment and collaboration to take this project forward. His Ministry applauds FAO for hosting the project and for ongoing partnership to achieve the project outcomes within the time frame. They hope that government efforts will attract support from other development partners to promote TVET in Sierra Leone.
He further reiterated that MTHE highly commends the BEAR-3 project team and the steering and technical committees for working assiduously from conception to acquiring the funding. This is well appreciated and thus encourages all to translate their efforts into tangible results.
As a major highlight, the Deputy Minister formally inaugurated the BEAR-3 project steering and technical committees, respectively. Both committees have a responsibility for oversight and successful, timely delivery of the project in line with the outcomes.
He commended the Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr Haja Ramatulai Wurie, for ensuring the MTHE Team is focused on delivering on the Ministry’s mandate and applauded the outstanding commitment of colleagues to ensure TVET is rolled out across the country with the support of development partners and government.
