October 26, 2018
By Yusufu S. Bangura
From right, Principal of the Bullom, AMSS, flanked by other dignitaries during the launching.
The Anti-Commission Corruption (ACC) has on Wednesday launched integrity clubs in two schools -Bullom Ahmadiyya Muslim Secondary School and the Saint Augustine Agriculture Secondary School- in the Kofa Bullom Chiefdom, Port Loko district.
Speaking during the launch, Head of Public Education Unit at ACC, Michael Sesay, said they launched the club to help pupils fight corruption among themselves and to disseminate the negative effects associated with the misappropriation of public funds in schools.
Sesay said the ACC has established over 30 integrity clubs in different secondary schools across the country, adding that they as a commission would continue to educate pupils about what corruption means and how they should stay away from it.
He observed that a nation would not grow if it continues to engage in corruption and that pupils would not be better leaders in society after they would have achieved their goals, thus calling on them to help the ACC in the fight against corruption, not only in their schools but also across the country.
He noted that for them in the ACC, they were the main pillar of integrity and that they have the responsibility to educate young people about how to stop corruption.
He went on advising the pupils to concentrate on their studies and deviate from all activities that involve in corruption which would subsequently destroy their career.
Senior Public Education Officer at the ACC, Al-Hassan Sesay, said their mandate is to fight corruption in the country and that the ACC Act was established in the year 2000 through an Act of Parliament.
He said the ACC is not just focus on fighting corruption in the country, but also in schools through the launch of integrity club in schools.
He said the role and responsibility of the ACC was to fight corruption through preventive and public education approaches- sensitising people on how they should stay away from corruption.
He noted that for them in the commission, they would put all measures in place to block all forms of corruption in the country.
He said while the ACC was also including schools in the country to fight corruption, they needed only 50 members of the club per school.
The Senior Public Education Officer said they wanted pupils to serve as role models in the country, adding that the integrity club was not about witch-hunt against teachers but one meant to stop corruption in schools and that their aim was to catch the pupils young.
He noted that the membership of the club should support the commission in fighting corruption in the schools, and that they should serve as peer educators to pass on the message to their colleagues and to disseminate the ills of examination malpractices.
Principal of Bullom Ahmadiyya Muslim Secondary School, Khalil S. Kabba, said they were very happy for the initiative and promised the commission that they would work together to fighting corruption in the country.