By Kemeseng Sanneh
Halifa Sallah, the National Assembly member for Serrekunda Constituency yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding with Serrekunda Lower Basic School which reads as follows:
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN SERRE-KUNDA SCHOOL AND THE OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MEMBER SERRE-KUNDA CONSTITUENCY
In response to the break-in and theft of materials from Serre-Kunda Lower Basic School the administrators of the school and the National Assembly member for Serrekunda hereby sign and agree as follows:
The National Assembly member
- shall replace the following stolen Items:
a) one flask, b) one Gas bottle c) one kettle d) one body spray e) two wheelbarrows f) two mats g) one laptop computer. - pay the salary of one night watchperson to be engaged by the school at a rate of two thousand dalasis per month with effect from the end of February and will continue until the service is provided under the auspices of the Department of Education;
- engage the Police and Education authorities on the challenges of security and sanitation confronting the school, especially the shortage of night watchmen and caretakers;
- maintain partnership with the school on the basis that, the school on one hand, will take diligent measures to provide durable padlocks to protect its properties and on the other hand, the National Assembly member will influence the authorities to provide the school with the staff required to maintain the security and ensure the proper upkeep of the school.
Done This Fourteenth Day of February 2018.
National Assembly Member Serekunda
……………………………………..
Headmaster Serekunda School. …………..
On his remarks Mr Sallah said: “Thank you very much this should have happened some weeks ago, but unfortunately schedules kept changing, I came back from South Africa last night and felt that it’s important for us to do this once and for all.
We came here to investigate what happened when we heard of the theft and we made promises and to keep the promises we have now transformed it to memorandum of understanding so that I will be duty bound to keep to the promise made or be exposed if I fail to fulfill the promised made.”
On his part after the signing of the memorandum, the Headmaster of the School reminded the gathering that Mr Sallah visited the School when the theft took place and promised to replace the materials that were stolen.
“We are gathered here today to witness the fulfilment of the promise made and we further signed a memorandum to foster the relationship between the School and the office of the National Assembly member of Serekunda Constituency,” he added.
He also assured Hon. Sallah that the items will be properly handled to provide education for the students since they are the future leaders of the country.
Halifa further said that, “the teaching profession is noble, nobody can pay a teacher.” He added,
“If we want to live in a society better than the one we inherited we must invest in it and nothing is more valuable investment than investment in human beings, bringing them up to have characters, values and that’s what you’re doing at the lower level and the higher level”..
He noted that even though sometimes it is difficult, they should make use of what they have knowing that sooner or later all of us will see the benefits of investing in knowledge; investing in values in our societies.
