Athaliah Reynolds, Staff Reporter

Patrons purchasing books in the Sangster's Book Stores booth during the first day of the two-day Grace Vienna Sausages 'Back-to-School Trade Fair' held at the National Arena on Saturday. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer

Heavy rainfall caused by a tropical wave affecting most of the island was no deterrent to the hundreds of parents, guardians and children who turned out at the National Arena in Kingston for the Grace Vienna Sausages 'Back-to-School Trade Fair' over the weekend.

The two-day event was held on Saturday and Sunday under the theme 'Education is Vital, Never a Ritual', and was geared towards providing a 'one-stop shop' for parents who needed to take care of necessary back-to-school preparations.

On Sunday, the venue was packed with several students who were eager to partake of the exciting entertainment packages provided by the organisers, while their parents were busy shopping for those essential back-to-school items.

"I couldn't come out yesterday because of the rain, but I had to come today," a parent told The Gleaner. "I was here last year and I found it very helpful, I got most of the books I needed, uniform and school bag. Plus my children are able to enjoy themselves while I shop."

There were several essential exhibitors at the fair, including the Registrar General's Department (RGD), which provided parents with information on how to get their children registered.

The RGD's website shows that, over the years, the delay in registration for children after three months since birth, but under one year, has been on the increase.

Late registrations

This moved from a total of 5,221 (11.8 per cent) in 2002 to 6,809 (15.7 per cent) in 2003, with the parishes of St. Catherine, Kingston, Clarendon and St. Mary having the largest number of late registrations.

The Ministry of Education and Youth has also stated that schools would not be accepting children in the new school year without birth certificates.

The Road Safety Unit of the Ministry of Transport and Works was also on hand to provide both parents and students alike with "tips on how to be safe on our roads".

Julian Campbell, information technology officer, said the fair provided the perfect opportunity to disseminate information to students, who were a part of its target audience on several road safety measures.

These include how to cross the street, the meaning of various traffic/road signs and how to properly use pedestrian crossings.

Police reports show that in 2004, there were 309 road accidents with 360 deaths while, in 2005, there were 286 accidents resulting in 326 deaths - a portion of these fatalities were children.

athaliah.reynolds@gleanerjm.com

Back-to-School Tips

Start your back-to-school shopping early.

Get a list of required school supplies.

Establish the shopping ground rules before you hit the mall.

Take advantage of the start of a new school year to rethink family routines.

Start adjusting your child's bedtime before school begins.