By Saio Marrah
Simeon Harding, a final year student in the department of Management information Systems at the University of Management and Technology (UNIMTECH) has emerged winner of an essay competition for tertiary institutions, organized by Grassroots Action for National Development (GRAND). The title of the essay was ‘the Sierra Leone I want to see: Individual, Community and National Responses for a better Health Care System in a post-COVID-19 Sierra Leone’.
The second and third positions went to Sulaiman Munda Bonnie and Emmanuel Suma respectively, all from the Fourah Bay College (FBC), university of Sierra Leone.
Giving an analysis of the grading system from one of the judges, Kenneth Osho, senior lecturer in the English Department at FBC, the contestants were graded out of a total of 100 percent: 50 marks for content, 10 marks for the format, and 40 marks for expression.
He explained that for the content, they awarded 20 marks for relevance, 10 for the background, and 20 for the suggestions, and that they also looked out for concrete, practical and realistic suggestions. Osho pointed out that candidates were expected to discuss the current health care system as an introduction, pointing out shortcomings as well as concrete practical and realistic suggestions,as to what should be done to eliminate COVID-19.
He also pointed out that they awarded marks to contestants who started their essay with the general statement on the social structure of the country’s health care system, the general attitude of the Sierra Leonean with ethical issues, including the perception of corruption.
He however said that they were expecting contestants not to express overt criticisms of the government rather and explained that politically motivated statements were not rewarded. This he said didn’t mean candidates should not criticize the government, but that the criticisms should not dominate the essay and that the suggestions were expected to aim at the post- COVID situation.
He said for the organizational aspect that attracted 10 marks, the essay must start with a clear title, end with the name of the writer, and should be expected to have an introduction, main body and conclusion.
For the expression that goes for 40 marks, he said it was arguably the most important aspect and they got rewarded for accurate use of grammar, which includes use of the verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, the use of pronouns, and the use of active and passive voice.
He however said that the candidate that took the third position fell short in proof- reading his work before presenting it.
Harding, as the grand prize winner in the essay competition expressed his delight and noted that he started writing at the age of 11. He said even though he had been participating in different essay competitions, it was the first time for him to clinch the number one position. He therefore advised other young people not to give up on whatever they are doing.
He also disclosed that while the other contestants were mostly criticizing the government in their essay write ups, he focused on first identifying the current health care system and made suggestions on how the government can train people to combat any further disease.
Bonnie, who was second, was also delighted to have been among the top three in the competition.
The first position holder got Le 5,000,000 and a big gold colour trophy, while the student who came second had Le2, 500,000 plus a gold colour trophy. The third got Le. 1,500, 000 plus a silver trophy.
Speaking during the presentation ceremony at their Adelaide Street office in Freetown on Friday 13th August 2021, GRAND’s Acting National Coordinator, Alie Tarawally said as a not for profit organization, their aim is to capacitate young people and creating opportunities for them.
Tarawally said the first essay organized by them was for school-going pupils in 2019.
Established in 2016, he said GRAND has been helping many youths in computer skills training and has donated to the mudslide affected people and among other interventions, without any support from external funding.
He however called for international donor support as they continue to help the vulnerable.
Copyright © Politico Online (16/08/21)
