The Parliament of Sierra Leone on Friday 18th November 2022, enacted the Bill entitled “The National Council for Civic Education and Democracy Act, 2022,” for the purpose of continuous nationwide civic education on the roles and responsibilities of citizens, patriotism and nationalism. The Act also seeks to provide development communication for government and partner programmes to the people of Sierra Leone.
Presenting the bill to Parliament, the Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Francis Kaikai thanked the House for what he described as “a positive reception to the bill.” He assured the Members of Parliament that the bill presented to them is well researched to promote national development. Dr. Kaikai acknowledged NaCCED’s contribution in the popularization of the Medium Term National Development plan nationwide, stating that “the plan has been truly nationally owned not only by Parliament but also by the people of Sierra Leone. Dr. Kaikai informed the House that Civics has been reintroduced as a stand-alone subject at Primary to Junior Secondary School levels. He further notified the Members of Parliament that the Civic textbooks have been printed and distributed to all government and government-assisted schools, and over three thousand (3,000) teachers trained to teach the subject.
“Truly , civic education is on course again in Sierra Leone after the breakdown from the 1980s. I want to assure you that this bill is good for the citizens and for good governance in Sierra Leone,” he said. The Minister of Planning expressed appreciation of the support and political will from all sides of the political spectrum within and outside Parliament. “I can speak on behalf of the Cabinet that this bill received resounding support from the President and all Cabinet Ministers,” he confirmed. “I am happy that we all agree that there should be a true meaning of the words nationalism, patriotism, democracy and this bill clearly complements everything that we do, even within this House, and in promoting our development programmes and aspirations,” he ended.
The Chairman for Planning and Economic Development Committee in Parliament, Honorable Musa Fofanah, while making his submission on the bill stated that “for the committee, this bill is very critical and we want to believe that the benefit of this bill cannot be over emphasized.” Honorable Fofanah stated that if the bill is fully supported and passed into law, it would help the country actualize its civic education dream. “There is a lot of disconnect between our civic education and our national agenda. We believe it is because of this disconnect that we have lots of political differences here and there,” he bemoaned. Honorable Fofanah believes that functional civic engagement fosters understanding of political development for national cohesion as required by the National Medium Term Plan cluster 4. He further commended NaCCED Chairman, Mr. Kalilu Totangi for his contribution and intervention through community civic engagement during the 2021 Mid Term Population and Housing Census exercise. “I want to say that the civic commission will benefit this country in our national research because they have been helping MDA’s in terms of sensitization around their responsibilities and the responsibilities of our constituents,” he added.
The Leader of the Opposition, Honorable Chernor Maju Bah, described the bill as “timely and relevant and a must for citizens.” “In most countries in the world civic education is a mandatory subject in all schools and we should not be an exception,” he emphasized. He stated that the duty of citizens goes simultaneously with their rights,, noting that, “most times we talk about our rights without mentioning our responsibilities.” He thanked the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, and NaCCED for pushing the bill forward and assured them that “Parliament is a willing partner in this very important drive.”
The Leader of Government Business, Honorable Mathew Sahr Nyuma endorsed the bill stating that debating and enacting it “is a responsibility they owe this country”. He said although education is a fundamental human development index, the practicalization of civic responsibility is key. “We have had so many good governance programs promoting good citizenship, but we believe that the direction set by this bill is the right trajectory”. Referencing a provision in the document that looks at the application which states “This Act shall apply to all matters pertaining to operation and transactions carried out in or connected with formal and non-formal civic education, community engagement, nationalism and patriotism and awareness raising throughout Sierra Leone,” Honorable Nyuma believes that the bill is timely because the 2023 general and presidential elections are only moths away. He advised that the disposition of the institution should be apolitical and politicians and the general public should see it at such. “This should not carry any form of political bickering or being a political platform. It should be a platform for every Sierra Leonean to change our attitude,” he advised. “We are a post war country, we really need this to change the narrative of our country and to also strengthen our democracy,” he concluded.
Parliamentarians from across the aisle passionately delved into the details of the bill, and amended a few sections.
The bill was therefore enacted, with Presidential accent being the next and final stage.
