ABC Engages Four Pilot Schools as Agents of Change
The Attitudinal and Behavioral Change (ABC) Secretariat has on Tuesday,11th February, 2014 engaged the Prince of Wales Secondary School, Freetown Secondary School for Girls, Methodist Girls’ High School and Ahmadiyya Secondary School in a training as agents of change for Western Area schools at the Atlantic Hall, (National Stadium Hostel). (Photo: Cross Section of the Pupil Participants)
The students were trained as agents of change on the topic ‘Your Altitude Depends on Your Altitude and Attitude’. The training is part of the Secretariat’s work plan for the year 2013.
The training which has to last for two days was opened by the Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, Honourable Theo Nicol. During his opening statement, the Minister called on the pupil participants to be very positive and comport themselves in their educational lives.
The Deputy Minister called on the pupils to identify and follow their role models in their lives as that would help them to become successful people for themselves and the country rather than following the footsteps of negative people.
He recalled finding his own role model in the person of former President Siaka Stevens at the age of eleven in 1971, explaining that the former president once visited his secondary school, and when the president asked him what he wanted to be in life he told him that he wanted to be the President of Sierra Leone.
“From that day I got the right attitude to work very hard to take me where I am today,” adding that not as a President but as a leader in Sierra Leone in the position of a Minister.
Hon. Theo Nicol told the pupils that if they grow up with the right attitudes in life they would one day be Presidents, Ministers, Directors or Principals; adding that attitude is everything in life.
Whilst thanking the president for establishing the ABC Secretariat, the Deputy Minister of Information and Communications also lauded the Secretariat for undertaking the pilot school project; he also admonished the pupils to pay attention to the training and to put everything into practice.
The Director of ABC Secretariat, Dr. Ivan Ajibola Thomas in declaring the intent of the programme called on the pupils to stop joining gangster and clicks but to take their education seriously.
“Sierra Leone was known for her high standards in terms of educational output,” he noted, adding that the country’s educational standard is now ranked very low in terms of performance compared to other countries in the sub region.
He disclosed that some of the reasons responsible for the country’s low ranking in public examinations are that; school pupils now prefer to watch films, games and are busy on other non academic issues.
Dr. Thomas also noted that there are bad teachers, explaining that some teachers exchange grades for money and other things which are not good as professional teachers and for the academic performance of school pupils.
The National Coordinator and Second-in-Command of the Secretariat, Madam Nanette Thomas taught the pupils about attitude, behavior and change. During her lectures, she called on the pupils to influence their colleagues in positive ways.
Madam Nanette Thomas noted that attitude is a combination of one’s, emotions, ways of viewing things and circumstances around the individual, adding that positive attitude is the power that would drive the students to success.
The Second-in-Command also told the pupils that developing and manifesting positive attitudes would make their lives happier, but negative attitudes shorten their lives. And that the more often they become angry and rude to their parents and teachers, they will be upset throughout the day.
She called on the teachers to always learn to encourage their pupils, adding that they should always behave like professional teachers. “It is the business of the teachers to be the best friends of their pupils” she noted, calling on them to also be role models of their pupils.
The National Coordinator pleaded with the teachers to help the pupils in maintaining positive attitudes, she recalled Nelson Mandela by saying that “education is the most powerful weapon to change the world.”
She also stated that behavior is anything that a thing does; involving movement as a response to situation. Madam Nanette Thomas pleaded with the pupils to be very responsible in their behavior.
She called on the participants to change their attitudes so that their lives would change, noting also that their only security is their ability to change and that change is natural, citing that if they did not change by inculcating positive attitude change would change them.
She also spoke about the importance of change and for them to keep themselves from lawlessness both at school and their homes, and that success comes from desire and not wishes.
Calling on them to be determined, focused and have their desires to bring honors to their families, schools and Sierra Leone, saying also that they should not allow anything to stop them from achieving their goals.
The Assistant Director, Special Needs Ministry of Education Science and Technology, Mr. Stephens S. Alie-Korosa called on the pilot schools pupils to inculcate and to serve as positive agents of change to their colleagues.
Adding that as school pupils they must show up positive attitudes by putting on their right school codes, respecting school authorities and rules and regulations.
Adding that it is how they present themselves as students that people asses them, disclosing that some boys go to school like gangsters while the girls put on attractive uniforms.
He blamed some of the school authorities that accept pupils that dress and go to school as if they are not pupils, but disclosed that the ministry has recruited more staff to monitor schools across the country.
Mr. Alie-Korosa admonished the pupils that no matter how cleaver one is in school, without positive attitude it will not be easy for him to take responsible position in life and to contribute meaningfully in society.
Mr. Augustine Bundoh, the Senior Secondary School Principal for Prince of Wales noted that a positive change of attitude of all Sierra Leoneans is the watch word of President Koroma. He lauded the impact that the Attitudinal and Behavioural Change Secretariat has made in the country over the years.
“Change of attitude has a role to play in our lives either to fall or to rise” he said, but noted that if the pupils press the right button they would see a rise in their lives.
Miss. Lucia Mambu, a representative of the Principal of the Freetown Secondary School for Girls stressed that the theme of the training would create a positive mind set in the minds of the pupils.
She disclosed that as agents of change, the educational system plays a very important role in the fight for positive attitude in Sierra Leone, especially when the pupils are very young.
“No matter how educated one is, if he or she does not have a reputable character one will not make it in life,” she noted, she warned that negative attitude served as a deterrent to a better way in life.
Mr. Abdul Karim Sesay, Principal Ahmaddiya Secondary School, Kissy also thanked the President for establishing the ABC Secretariat in order to help Sierra Leoneans absorb positive attitudes.
That he said came about after diagnosing Sierra Leone as a nation ranging from our attitudes towards politics to our social behaviours as sierra Leoneans.
“Targeting secondary school pupils to imbibe positive attitude is not a mistake,” he noted, adding that but a step in the right direction as it will help the pupils to grow with positive attitudes and behaviours which they will implement in their working lives.
The representative of the principal, Methodist Girls High School, Mr. Alpha Swaray, said that trying to inculcate positives attitude and behaviours in the school system is not new to their school.
He cited that some of the negative attitudes and behaviours that are affecting the country are; non-respect for laws, authorities, laws and others, dishonesty behaviours and unequal justice for all.
He described ‘attitude’ as a desire to succeed, while ‘aptitude’ he said is natural talent. Adding that to succeed one has to have the right.
Dr. Victor Kabia Principal of Milton Margai College Education and Technology congratulated the ABC Secretariat for taking such ventures in educating the pupils from different Pilots School about attitude.
In his lectures, Dr. Kabia taught the pupils about deviance, types of deviance such as stealing, bullying, truancy peer pressure, fighting amongst others.
He also stated that attitude is a general reaction to issues, adding that the way one response to issues tells people about ones attitude. He admonished the students to be always positive.
In concluding his lectures Dr. Kabia addressed the issue of behavior modification in which he spoke about different steps to improve behavior modification which includes intentional, self control and fast developers. He told the pupils that there are many ways to develop a child, and they should continue to work on their attitude and deviance to make them better citizens.
Communications Unit ABC
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