President Julius Maada Bio has delivered a special Presidential Lecture on Enhancing the Educational System and Reconstructing Governance in Sierra Leone at the Yonsei University in Seoul and praised the founder visionaries who recognised the value of education that transcends racial and national boundaries.
“Quality Education and Human Capital Development lie at the heart of Sierra Leone’s national development aspirations and, indeed, at the core of global sustainable development. An educated population is a country’s most valuable resource. For countries like Sierra Leone, which are emerging from the shadows of conflict and grappling with the challenges of poverty and underdevelopment, education provides a pathway to sustainable development and a brighter future.
“In the past six years, our education sector has received the largest share of our annual national budget (22%). We are investing significantly in the education sector to empower our citizens with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive in an increasingly complex and interconnected world,” he said.
On reconstructing governance in Sierra Leone, the President noted they recognised that his fellow citizens’ collective efforts would be in vain if they all did not tackle headlong the agelong governance issues that had long militated against the country’s journey to global reckoning.
“Upon my assumption of political office in 2018, my Government developed a comprehensive framework to reverse Sierra Leone’s negative perception. We remain committed to sustaining and developing democratic principles and respect for human rights, the rule of law and good governance.
“Without a healthy democracy, we cannot assure our people and partners of a stable country. As part of our commitment to democracy, I am proud to say that we have repealed the criminal libel law that hindered our country’s Press Freedom and abolished the death penalty.
“Our Government’s concerted efforts to fight corruption and promote transparency have continued to gain global traction. Notably, Sierra Leone has consistently made upward progress in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) Country Rankings,” he stated.
Meanwhile, President Julius Maada Bio also witnessed the signing of a three-year Memorandum of Understanding between Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health and Sahmyook Health University in Korea, to develop international cooperation on the basis of quality and reciprocity and to promote sustainable partnership and mutual understanding.
“The areas of cooperation may include exchange of programmes, students, academic staff, dual degree programmes, organisation of joint research, cooperation in student practicum land workforce development programmes and other exchange programmes as mutually agreed,” the MoU states.
