Independence education fair focuses on ‘knowledge is power’ concept

Knowledge is power, and communicating this concept was the objective of the one day independence education fair put on by the Interior Zone Community Organization (IZCO) last Friday.{{more}}

Managing director of IZCO Nigel Morgan explained that the activity was started in order to continue the education process for adults in Marriaqua and the communities of Greiggs, Lauders and Lowmans (Wd).

He said the programme is an extension of the adult literacy campaign and is geared towards providing information to members of the public and to promote the acquisition and development of vital life skills among persons to enable them to be more productive and independent citizens.

Last Friday’s activity showcased participants from groups and government departments, including the National Insurance Services (NIS), the General Employees Cooperative Credit Union (GECCU), Family Planning, the Customs and Excise department, the departments of Agriculture and Tourism, Sport and Culture, among others.

“The reason for this is the knowledge that the people in the community need,” Morgan said.

“They get basic information about things such as what is going on at the International Airport Development Company (IADC), Customs and the latest developments in the postal world and in agricultural reform,” he continued.

“People are putting houses down and they need to know the building code, so in times of disaster they would know how and why their houses are being destroyed.”

Morgan explained that this year’s activity drew participation from 22 entities, an improvement over the 2012 figure which was 11 participants.

The event was held in the Mesopotamia valley and, according to Morgan, this venue was selected to facilitate the wide cross section of schools that are in the area.

“A lot of schools cut across here,” he said.

And although the event was designed to target adults, Morgan explained that in order that the message get to the adult population, it was important to first get the students interested.

The organization is a non-profit volunteer entity which arose out of the need to continue the struggle against poverty and unemployment among people in St Vincent and the Grenadines and was launched in 2007.(DD)