WAEC assures AML
Head of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Sheriff Mohamed Sapateh, has assured of their support to African Minerals’ adult literacy and numeracy programme which was installed to capacitate local workers in Pepel. Sapateh, Head of WAEC
He lauded the initiative by the continent’s second largest iron ore miner, and the single largest private employer in post war Sierra Leone, for what he said was a novelty in the strategic human resource mobilization efforts so far.
“It will help illiterate people to understand basic and common signs and spellings. We will have to sit together with AML to discuss the programme and come out with a successful plan”, he assured AML as part of a high level visit by officials of WAEC.
Mr. Sapateh said he was impressed by the planning, establishment and execution of the adult literacy and numeracy programme but was also gratified by the single act of supporting the Magburaka Training Institute and reinstating its lost glory. He noted that adult education was one major aspect of learning that should warrant a lot of attention and concerns.
AML’s Coordinator Human Resource Training, Shirlene Carew, said officials of the WAEC had gone to inspect the adult literacy and numeracy programme that was being conducted for community people in the ports and rail operations areas of Pepel in the Port Loko district.
“The main reason for the move was to instill some knowledge into our workers and enable them communicate effectively with foreign nationals, read and understand the safety signs and follow due protocols within the mining camp”, she said, adding that over the years they had had a lot of complaints from foreign nationals regarding some barriers in communicating with locals.
“But with the new programme things will change and the working condition will also improve. I therefore want to appeal to WAEC to assess the programme and see how best they can streamline it to fit into the national curriculum”, she said.
Carew added: “One of my dreams is to transform some of these workers from unskilled to skilled and to add more respect and dignity to them. We have already enrolled about 100 workers into the programme”.
She assured that the company was determined and ready to follow the recommendations of WAEC and to enroll more workers into the programme.
Head of Community and Public Relations, Anthony Navo, said AML took education very seriously and would therefore be helping a lot of people in the country.
“Over the past two years we have given out about 15,000 scholarships to deserving students across the country”, he said, adding that the company was working to revive the Magburaka Training Institute and ensure that they train more Sierra Leoneans in and outside the company.
Tanu Jalloh
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