School exhibits shown at BMEX should be displayed within individual schools for all to see.

This was intimated on Monday by Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ronald Jones, following a tour of the annual exhibition of art and craft by primary, secondary and nursery schoolchildren at BMEX, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.

He said there had to be a transition from just displaying and agreed that schools needed to find a way to have the offerings exhibited for longer periods than the days allotted by BMEX.

Pointing out that his Ministry lacked the space to cater to large exhibitions, Mr. Jones said the Media Resource Department, which coordinates the exhibition, and the Barbados Manufacturers??? Association (BMA) could take it to that level, but everything ???takes money???.

???This is already expenditure through the various bodies. To move it, to make it mobile, in itself, may be problematic. If we had the space at the Ministry, and we are limited by space, then these things can be taken there and be up for six months, two months or three months.

???But we don???t have exhibition space at the Ministry. There is no one school that has it either. So, the individual schools can take it to their schools and invite the community to see their work??? With that exhibition being showcased there, you can meet a whole slew of people and that also is important,??? explained the Minister.

Describing the display, as ???quite good???, he expressed pleasure at the response of the 20 schools which participated.

???I saw so many things that you don???t see in one place. You may go to an individual school and see their work; but collectively seeing the work on display is really astounding. There is a lot more that can happen??? but when you see what they have [displayed], when you see what they are doing in our classrooms, I think that we can express a sense of pride,??? said the former teacher.

Mr. Jones noted too that the offerings, including the artwork, tie dye, batik and other works, were impressive and of a high standard to meet CXC and Caribbean Vocational Qualification requirements, including a significant number of agricultural and general science displays.?????It shows now that among our young people, with the right kind of guidance, entrepreneurial ability and talent is very much there.

Of course, what is always missing is the capital base for these to transition into greater levels of production,??? declared Mr. Jones, while adding that he was certain the BMA would facilitate this process.

Expressing the hope that the public would lend support to the work of the students, the Education Minister praised the emphasis some schools placed on using recycled materials and said the schools??? exhibition highlighted ???the seeds and early stirrings of deeper involvement into science, technology and innovation???.

Christ Church Girls??? School produced models of a number of neighbourhoods in the parish, using bottle caps, match boxes, matches, plastic bags, paper, cups and plywood. Eden Lodge Nursery highlighted days gone by through its theme: Our Heritage; Our Roots, and included in its display an old clothes iron, lantern and oil lamp.

Holy Innocents??? Primary used tyres to make pouffes and storage bins and wood cut from ficcus trees to make clocks and tables, while Trinity Academy showcased an integrated vegetable and fish growing project, with water being recycled.

Coleridge and Parry produced a range of tools, including a collapsible shovel and a sledge/cross pein hammer.

joy-ann.gill@barbados.gov.bb

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