Speeches

Amb. Hull's Girls' Scholarship Program

June 22, 2005

REMARKS AT THE LAUNCH OF THE AMBASSADOR’S GIRLS’ SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM BY AMBASSADOR THOMAS N. HULL AT PORT LOKO TEACHERS COLLEGE JUNE 22, 2005

Honorable Chairman, Your Excellency President Kabbah, Minister of Education Wurie, other honorable ministers, members of parliament, traditional leaders and district councillors, other distinguished guests, and parents and children of Sierra Leone:

I would like to thank His Excellency the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone for honoring us by his presence at the launch today of the Ambassador’s Girls’ Scholarship Program. President Kabbah’s participation is an affirmation not only of his government’s commitment to retaining girls in school, but also of the impact that this American initiative will have in achieving that objective.

The disparity in school enrollment between boys and girls is not only a Sierra Leonean problem, it is a global problem. World educators met in Dakar, Senegal, in 2000 to launch the “Education for All” initiative that included the goal of “eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and achieving gender equality in education by 2015, with a focus on ensuring girls’ full and equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality.”

Although that goal is extremely ambitious, especially for a country emerging from the devastation of conflict, it is a necessary one for a country that wants to progress. Modernizing economies need citizens who are literate and skilled, who have education and training. The United States Government recognizes that broadly accessible, high quality education is a powerful instrument for reducing poverty and inequality, improving health and social well-being, building democratic societies, and laying the basis for sustained economic growth.

Even more fundamentally, education is a basic human right that no child should be denied. In the United States there is a well known phrase that “a mind is a terrible thing to waste.” And minds are wasted if they are not educated. President George W. Bush’s commitment that no child should be left behind is manifested in his African Education Initiative of which the Ambassador’s Girls’ Scholarship Program is one element.

As First Lady Laura Bush, herself a former teacher and librarian, has said, “education is vital to developing nations and generations.” Education expands eager young minds; a lack of education stifles and limits them. The chance to learn and to read and write should never be only the privilege of a few, royalty or the rich, the first-born or sons. Education is the birthright of every human being – all the world’s sons and all the world’s daughters.”

The Ambassador’s Girls’ Scholarship Program that we are launching will initially benefit a total of 3,000 girls from five districts: Koinadugu, Kono, Bombali, Kailahun, and Port Loko. The program is funded through the United States Agency for International Development, and the USAID program officer for Sierra Leone, Ms. Christine Sheckler, is with me today. The program is being conducted in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, and is being administered on behalf of USAID by the international NGO World Education Incorporated in collaboration with the Forum of African Women Educationalists, Adventist Development and Relief Agency, Network for Justice and Development, Christian Extension Services, and Center for Democracy and Human Rights. Representatives of these non-governmental organizations are with us today.

We also have with us some of the 3,000 girls from the five districts who are receiving the scholarships. Congratulations to all of you. Each scholarship package includes books, school supplies, and uniforms among other benefits. These and other students will also benefit from USAID’s support for the World Food Program’s school feeding programs in the targeted districts.

Mr. President, the United States of America is pleased to be a partner with you in improving equality in education by keeping girls in school; in reducing illiteracy through education; in helping girls and women to improve their own lives, the lives of their families and the conditions of their communities; and in laying the foundation for economic growth and democratic development. As an early American President, Thomas Jefferson, once said, “A nation that expects to be uneducated and free, expects what never was and never will be.”

I would like to conclude my remarks with an appeal to the fathers of Sierra Leone: send your daughters to school. Give them an opportunity to be educated, to make informed decisions about their futures, and enable them to protect themselves from trafficking, sexual exploitation, HIV/AIDS, and other dangers in life. While the government and donors can help, the futures of your families are in your hands.

Thank you.