…all roads to Miatta conference centre
September 16, 2016 By Mohamed Massaquoi
The National Trade Fair on Education, organised by Heal Sierra Leone and members of the Education Microscope in partnership with other educational and non-governmental organisations, has started at the Miatta Conference Centre in Freetown to showcase high quality educational materials at a reasonable cost especially to vulnerable school going children.
This is the second national trade fair organised by a civil society organisation working on educational issues in the country, with citizens across the country commending Heal Sierra Leone for the good work in promoting education in Sierra Leone.
Executive Director of Heal Sierra Leone, Joseph Sannoh, said the theme for this year’s trade fair is ‘Get your kids back to school’ and that they have targeted pupils from primary and secondary schools, students from technical and vocational institutions, including universities, to make the fair interactive.
He said his organisation has been advocating for quality education in the country over the years, engaging policy makers, including the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, for government to create a conducive environment for Sierra Leonean children to acquire affordable education.
Sannoh further noted that the fair comprises different sectors, including government institutions that will be at the forefront of the exhibition to showcase their respective responsibilities, mandates, objectivities and duties, and also to educate pupils about the different functions of their institutions, thereby providing leadership skills to the young ones.
“There is one stop shop to enable parents to purchase different school materials. I want everybody to come with their children to enjoy this opportunity,’’ he said.
One of the pupils at the exhibition centre, Aminata Kamara, commended the organisers of exhibition for exposing them to such experience.
She said the exhibition would help them interact with their colleagues from other schools and also strengthen good relationship.
‘‘I am happy that my father and mother took me to this trade fair, this is good for us and I want to encourage government to give the appropriate support to the organisers so that they will replicate similar programme in the provinces for the benefit of others,’’ she said.