By IK Musa
In a bid to complement the vision of His Excellency President Bio’s New Direction in achieving free quality education at all levels, the Chief Executive of the National Public Procurement Authority (NPPA), Ibrahim Brima Swarray’s Academic Trophy Eastern Region under the sponsorship of the Chief Executive of the National Public Procurement Authority (NPPA) who also doubles as the Chief Executive Officer of the Chief Ibrahim Brima Swaray’s Foundation has ended its inter-district secondary schools’ quiz and debates’ grand final for five secondary schools drawn from the three districts in the Eastern Region (Kenema, Kailahun and Kono). The auspicious event took place at the Club Karima Complex, Combema Road in Kenema on the theme: “Building Environmental Sustainability through Market-Based Innovation and Skills Acquisition for a Transparent, Fairer and Competitive Investment in Sierra Leone.”
The grand final according to the organizer was the result of an engagement which started in 2020 in Kenema where over ten schools participated in an inter-secondary schools quiz and debate competition for schools in Kenema and was replicated in the early months of 2021 and also replicated in Kono and Kailahun districts respectively.
According to the Chief Executive of the National Public Procurement Authority (NPPA) who doubles as the Chief Executive Officer of the Ibrahim Brima Swarray Foundation, the move is in line with the President’s vision and the New Direction administration in achieving the implementation of Free Quality Education in Sierra Leone
Each district within the Eastern Region (Kenema, Kailahun and Kono) were all represented by pupils from selected secondary schools who in their various ways made exceptional performances during the conduct of the academic talent exhibition at district levels which graduated them to the grand final held at Club Karima Complex in Kenema.
The battle for supremacy in getting the ‘Brains of the East’ in this year’s event, marks the first episode of Chief Ibrahim Brima Swarray’s Academic Trophy 2021 which started with a quiz of several rounds conducted by eminent judges.
Participants from Kenema and Kono districts were very outstanding leaving Kailahun district behind. At the end of the quiz, Unpha Koroma a JSS 3 pupil at the Government Secondary School in Kenema surpassed Yusif Turay of Experimental Secondary School in Kono and emerged as Best Quizzer in this year’s event.
The quiz was followed by a debate on the topic The Fight against COVID-19 in Sierra Leone, A pupil of the Government Secondary School in Kenema Musa emerged as the most outstanding debater meeting most of the protocols of a good debater. At the end of the quiz and debates, the judges collated both marks scored in the quiz and debates by district. The team from Kenema emerged victorious followed by Kailahun District and Kono respectively.
In his keynote address the Chief Executive Officer of the Ibrahim Brima Swarray’s Foundation thanked and appreciated the people of the East for supporting this year’s quiz and debate competition since its exception in the late 2020. He expressed his delight for the young and dynamic pupils who were very zealous in scoring points on issues around the Corona pandemic in the country.
Chief Swarray promised that next year’s event will mark the second episode of the Chief Ibrahim Brima Swarray’s Academic Trophy in the East and will be expanded to the Southern region followed by the Northern region in the subsequent years and finally with the Western Area making it a completely national competition and promotion of Human Capital Development of young people and urged that to take their education more seriously than ever before. “If our President is to succeed in the implementation of Free Quality Education, then it must be a collective responsibility of every Sierra Leonean”, he reaffirmed.
He reiterated that the exercise will continue as the Bio-led government continues in governance, adding that the New Direction Administration believes in education as a way to build a better nation for all and assured that he would give a year’s scholarship to the best performing participants in this year’s debate and quiz competition who are attending a private school and encouraged the teachers who prepared the pupils to the grand final of the inter-district quiz and debate competition 2020/2021 to do more for the children in helping the nation in attaining greatness.
The event was climaxed by the presentation of gifts and awards to the winners by the Chief Executive Officer of the Ibrahim Brima Swarray’s Foundation who also doubles as the Chief Executive of the National Public Procurement Authority (NPPA) Chief Ibrahim Brima Swaray.
The following schools Government Secondary School Kenema, Every Nations Academy Kenema, Ansarul Islamic Secondary School Kenema, Henrietta UBC Secondary School Kenema, Clunchy Free the Children Secondary School Kono, Koidu Secondary School Kono, Experimental Secondary School Kono, Ansarul Islamic Secondary School Kono, Koidu Girls Secondary School Kono, National Secondary School Kailahun, Pendembu Vocational secondary School Kailahun, Methodist secondary School Kailahun, Luawa Islamic Secondary School Kailahun and Holy ghost secondary School Segbwema Kailahun in the eastern part of Sierra Leone.
