Abuja – 24th July, 2025
With deep emotion and a profound sense of personal and national loss, I join the Taylor – Pearce family thousands of former pupils of the Government Secondary School for Boys, Magburaka, and indeed the entire nation, in mourning the passing of a towering figure in our country’s educational and moral landscape: Dr. Rev. Canon Modupe Taylor-Pearce.
As a young boy entering Form One in the 1967/68 academic year, I encountered a Principal whose name would leave an indelible mark on my life and on the lives of generations. He was more than a headmaster. He was a mould, a refiner, a mirror of integrity, and a firebrand of discipline. His was a life so immersed in purpose that every action, every word, every stance he took became a silent lesson in character building.
Dr. Rev. Canon Taylor-Pearce was a man of tremendous discipline and unrelenting rigour. He believed as much in teaching values as in living them. It was not unusual to see him at the break of dawn, whistle around his neck, joining us for morning fitness exercises. By 6:00 am, when most would still be shaking off sleep, he had already made his presence felt, in the field, in the dormitories, in the hearts of every pupil. He would personally inspect our dormitories after exercise, and yet still appear immaculately dressed and spiritually grounded for morning devotion and assembly. Time to him was sacred, orderliness was non-negotiable, and excellence was the only option.
He was so thoroughly regimental that even the way we walked was touched by his vision. Sluggishness was unacceptable. His famous refrain—“No slackness!”—became a school-wide anthem. We marched briskly not just because he asked us to, but because he inspired a culture of urgency, of purpose, and of pride in discipline. Walking slowly, like moral compromise, was a sign of weakness.
But if his regimentation forged our bodies, it was his integrity that shaped our souls. Rev. Taylor-Pearce set an uncompromising standard of honesty and fairness. He did not believe in favouritism. He did not excuse wrongdoing. When a line was drawn, it was drawn for everyone, from the head boy to the youngest Form One pupil. We learned from him that the true measure of a man lies not in what he claims, but in what he chooses when no one is watching.
It is no wonder that under his leadership, the Government Secondary School for Boys Magburaka flourished. We competed in academia and sports at the highest levels, holding our own against the best schools across Sierra Leone. His legacy was in the awards we won, the records we broke, and in the quality of men he produced.
I count myself immeasurably privileged to have attended that school during his tenure. In many ways, the discipline he enforced was a continuation of what I had known at home, and so I embraced it wholeheartedly. In fact, because of my own upright posture and physical resemblance to him, my schoolmates jokingly nicknamed me “Taylor-Pearce.” But behind that nickname was a deep admiration, and a serious commitment to model the ideals he exemplified.
Much of what I became in the private sector as CEO of one of Sierra Leone’s most successful insurance companies, and eventually in public service as President of the Republic, I owe to the early fire he kindled in me. He mentored us through consistent example. His life was the sermon.
As a Reverend Canon, he was devout in his Christian faith, but never imposed it. He promoted religious tolerance with a grace that was rare. Muslim pupils were encouraged to observe Friday prayers. Christian pupils were supported through Scripture Union and Sunday worship. In doing so, he fostered a community of mutual respect and spiritual grounding.
Rev. Canon Taylor-Pearce was a man of remarkable energy, a selfless patriot, and a rare breed of leader—one who served for the future he could help shape. *As our school song he geniusly composed so eloquently articulated, he was a man of character and a citizen of true worth*. If Sierra Leone had just a few more men of his character, diligence, and moral clarity, I am confident our nation would be in a vastly different place today.
In his passing, Sierra Leone has lost a giant. Thousands of us, former pupils, colleagues, and fellow citizens, have lost a mentor, a shaper of destinies, a moral compass. But even as we mourn, we also celebrate. For we were blessed with his light. We walked in the era of his discipline. We carry the echoes of his “no slackness” in our stride.
To his family, to the church he served so faithfully, and to all who loved him, I extend my heartfelt and unreserved sympathies. May the God he so faithfully worshipped comfort you in this time of grief. And may we all rejoice in a life well spent, and a legacy that will live on in us.
Rest well, Sir. You ran your race. You kept the faith. You changed us all.
H.E. Ernest Bai Koroma
Former President of the Republic of Sierra Leone