By H E Tommy Massaquoi

Mothers, we see you and we honor you. Your love is the reason many of us survived school in Sierra Leone. But I want to plead with parents, especially our mothers, to consider not taking cooked meals like rice and soup to children who are writing the NPSE.

The gesture comes from a place of care, yet on exam day it becomes a real source of distraction. When dozens of mothers gather at the school gate with big baskets, flasks and bowls, the compound turns noisy and crowded. Children lose focus watching for their parents. Some become emotional or anxious when they see food they cannot immediately eat. Others feel pressure or shame if their family could not come. Invigilators are pulled away from supervision to manage parents and that hurts the integrity of the exam for every child in the hall.

A hungry mind cannot think, yes, but a distracted mind cannot pass. A solid breakfast at home and a simple dry snack in the bag is enough for a three hour paper, me think.

Let us reason together on this. To those who wrote the NPSE or BECE, share your experience. Did you feel more settled when parents stayed away from the gate, or did the crowd and the smell of hot food break your concentration? Your stories will help the next set of pupils.

And while we are talking, can we ask an honest question with love. Why is it that our dads seldom show up at the exam gate? If mothers carry the food and the worry, where are the fathers on that day? This is not to blame anyone, only to invite us as a nation to protect our children’s focus and make the NPSE a calm and fair space for all.