By Yunus S Saliu
In a well-contested 2nd edition of the inter-school drama titled Comprehensive Health Education (CHE) Inter-Schools Drama Competition organized by the Comprehensive Health Education Project Team of the Curriculum Research, Evaluation and Development Directorate (CREDD) under the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MOBSE), the SOS Senior Secondary and St Charles Upper Basic Schools have emerged the winner of the contest.
The CHE inter-school competition grouped into two categories i.e. upper basic and senior secondary schools was fully funded by the International Development Research Center (IDRC) and it is part of the CHE project titled Strengthening Access To Quality Comprehensive Health Education for In and Out of School Adolescents in The Gambia activities.
Fifteen schools comprised of 8 uppers and 7 senior secondary schools competed in the preliminary to the final of this competition and they used the drama opportunities to send positive, clear messages on CHE through performing with different characters to co-students, parents, teachers, and country at large about the importance of the subject.
And also created awareness taking into consideration their different performances and the areas/topics on which the students and schools based their teachings.
Throughout the competition, the students not only created awareness and spread messages but they all believed that knowledge is power which geared them up in their crusades to call on respectful parents, stakeholders, and authorities to consider making CHE a standalone subject in the school curriculum.
All the schools were applauded for their great performances and understanding of the subject in which different schools at each stage of the competition chose different topics to perform.
At the final stage of the competition which paraded ten schools, five upper basic schools, and five senior secondary schools, for the SSS category the SoS Senior Secondary School emerged winner while Kotu and Kairaba Senior Secondary Schools emerged first and second runner ups respectively.
In the upper basic school category, ST Charles was crowned the winner while SoS Upper Basic School and ST Carter emerged as first and second runner-ups respectively.
The winners and runner-up schools received trophies and presents while all participating schools in the competition were awarded certificates.