The Sierra Leone Cable Limited (SALCAB) in partnership with AFCOM, None Technologies, Ministry of Education, Science and Technologies and other stakeholders will commence the deployment of more expansion strategies that will increase the intake of teachers.

It will also support the accommodation of students through alternative learning to raise the value of human capital development as a breeding capital mechanism to support our educational health, public and private sector needs from US $34M loan received from the EXIM Bank of China.

This was revealed at a press conference organized by SALCAB on Monday May 27th 2019 at their Aberdeen –Lumley Road outreach in Freetown.

The Managing Director, Ishmael Kebbay said, by 2022, 42% of the total country’s population will be in primary and secondary school with the current average pupils teacher ratio (PTR) of 30%. The overall teacher population is estimated to increase to 107,135 teachers nationwide.
Kebbay said, SALCAB aims to connect 500 schools plus 16 district libraries with free quality internet in the 1st phase of the project of which 100 schools will have e-school management platform, computer labs and access to online learning materials/resources and shared service-teaching centers.

SALCAB will also repair the 28km damaged cable from Sewafe to connect Koidu town with real fiber, repair and restore power in additional five add and drop multiplexing (ADM) sites to increase the number of active point-of –presence from 27 to 32 ADM sites.

The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Alpha Timbo, buttressed the initiative as a way forward to boost the free quality education.

The chairman of SALCAB, representatives from AFCOM and none technologies promised their cooperation and support in ensuring that the project becomes a reality.