At a ceremony held at Ipam school grounds along the Kombo Sillah drive in Churchill’s Town, Ambassador Daramy said: “I am very proud today in the sense that anything done by Sierra Leoneans to complement government efforts is amazing. I thank the government for creating the enabling environment for the operation of Ipam. Take this opportunity and make the best use of it. Study hard and make the institute and The Gambia proud. You should strive for high quality education and develop new courses in tandem with current developments.
“I must commend you for being the first tertiary institute to represent The Gambia at the UN conference at tertiary level. Take this opportunity and make the best use of it. Study hard and make the institute and The Gambia proud. Opportunity lost is hard to regain. I will ask you to take this opportunity and study hard to achieve your dreams. In the past, access to education was difficult, more so tertiary education, but that is a thing of the past now. In every corner you have schools compared to the past”.
The proprietor of Ipam, Bobo Deen, a Sierra Leonean resident in The Gambia expressed happiness at the “historic launching” of the first National UN Model Conference 2014.
“This is a historic and great event in the history of Ipam and The Gambia because for the first time Ipam will be representing The Gambia in Washington DC at the model UN Conference that will bring together students from across the world. I arrived in The Gambia as a refugee with nothing but thanks to God and education I have established this institute serving a lot of young Gambians.”
Political science lecturer at the University of The Gambia, Felix Omatosho, stated: “This is a gathering of intellectuals and academicians in the fields of diplomacy and international foreign policy. The role and objectives of global bodies like the United Nations is to serve the world and promote international peace and development. Make the best use of this programme and make education your priority.”
Mr Andrew McCarthy, a teacher at Marina International School also underscored the importance of the DC conference saying the programme will benefit many young Gambians and expose them to the work of the United Nations.
Muhammed Bah, secetary general of the National Model United Nations (NMUN) said Ipam has produced and continues to produce good students serving in government and private sectors. He called for greater investment in Education while promising that they “ will live up to expectations.”
NMUN is the world’s largest United Nations simulation, with over 5,000 university students, more than 300 faculty members with over 100 volunteers from more than 50 countries around the world participating annually in United Nations conferences. This year’s NMUN DC Conference will be held in partnership with the Osgood Center for International Studies. Students will participate in discussions of issues at the forefront of international relations. The conference includes a crisis simulation in the Security Council and committee briefings by distinguished speakers from the Washington, DC diplomatic community. This is the first time for a Gambia-based tertiary institute to partake in this model UN conference.
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