Sierra Leone’s Chief Minister, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh has called on global leaders, while speaking on the ‘Future on Education Forum’ at the ongoing World Governments Summit, to take tangible actions and provide the requisite financing to support quality and inclusive education.
Dr. Sengeh said the world should be radially inclusive as a way to promote long-term solutions with high impacts that would work for the poorest, most remote, women and girls and those with disabilities. He said that until policymakers solve the problems affecting the most excluded and marginalized in society, the solutions would never be transformational.
“Education is everybody’s business. Education is about finance and education touches on all the different ministries and sectors. Education is the only way in which we can transform our society, so we must keep thinking, talking, engaging and most importantly, working hard to transform education. We live in a world where inequality continues to be widened in many parts,” he noted.
Dr. Sengeh also discussed the impacts of climate change on education, describing climate issues as critically challenging for humanity. He mentioned reports of schools in his country and other coastal regions around the world been badly affected by floods. The former Basic and Senior Secondary Education Minister emphasized that climate change was real and that it would continue to pose constraint to the education sector if actions, that were required for transformation, were not taken.
The ‘Future on Education Forum’ provided insightful conversations on aligning education with the demands of the labour market and using artificial intelligence to equip future generations. Other speakers at the Forum included Ministers of Education and Innovation from Malta, DR. Congo and Uzbekistan.
Later on, Dr. Sengeh also participated at the ‘Future on Education Roundtable’ a high-level gathering of various education Ministers and top education executives across the world. He spoke about President Dr. Julius Maada Bio’s passion for and commitment to affordable and accessible education for all Sierra Leoneans, while urging the participants to develop dynamic and innovative reforms.
The Chief Minister was accompanied to both events by Deputy Minister of Finance, Madam Kadiatu Allie and Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Rashid Sesay.
