August 29, 2019
By Musa Kamara
FQSE National Programme Coordinator making his statement
HEAL SL and Education Microscope Newspaper, with support from the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) and other partners, have on Wednesday 28 August 2019 officially launched the 2019 Mobile Education Trade Fair with the theme, “One Year of the Free Quality Education; the Good, the Challenges and the Future.”
Making his statement as the Guest of Honour, the National Program Coordinator of the Free Quality School Education (FQSE), Amara Sowa heartily commended staff and management of HEAL SL and Education Microscope Newspaper for organizing such groundbreaking trade fair on education and especially at such a moment wherein we have a government putting education as a top priority.
He went on to say that the Education Trade Fair forms a core component for not only the Ministry but the government and the country at large.
In his statements, he also acknowledged that there are challenges in the FQSE and therefore, in that line he implored on HEAL SL and Education Microscope to ardently raise the awareness to the very bottom of society on such mobile trade fair expedition.
Sowa emphasized that the New Direction Government is very committed to the provision of quality education for every Sierra Leonean child and since the pronouncement, President Bio have seen to it that all Government and Government Assisted Schools fees are paid, examination fees paid for NPSE, BECE, WASSCE and also procurement of textbooks and other teaching and learning materials.
Giving an overview of the 2019 Education Trade Fair, the Executive Director of HEAL SL, Joseph Sannoh enlightened that, Freetown is not Sierra Leone and therefore, the trade fair is going upcountry precisely in Kenema, Bo, and Makeni, which are respectively in the East, South and North of the country.
He outlined that 10 days would be taken in each of the region and cite, the 16 to the 25 September for the eastern region to be held at the Kenema City Plaza, the 2 to the 11 October for the southern region to be held at the Bo City Plaza, and the 18 to the 27 October for the northern region to be held at the Makeni City Plaza and Western Area (Freetown) would have theirs from the 3 to the 17 November at the Miatta Conference Hall.
He also disclose that the trade fair would feature schools, colleges and universities who would compete in a daily inter-quiz, debate and spelling and where prizes would be won, adding also that the winners from the provinces, would battle with the winners from the Western Area.
He also disclosed that the amount budgeted for the 2019 Mobile Education Trade Fair for each of the regions stands at the tune of Le265,912,500 and the budget for Freetown stands at Le571,042,500 and the Grand Total is Le1,368,780,000.
Brima Michael Turay, who is the Public Relations Officer for MBSSE, also commended HEAL SL for complimenting government effort and that MBSSE would continue to partner with HEAL SL, and he also encouraged all to make the 2019 Education Trade Fair count.