The Seven Days Adventist School, on Tuesday received a group of fourteen students and six staff from the Tarmworth Lichfield College in the United Kingdom, as part of activities of the twining exchange programme agreed by the two institutions.

The visiting students were drawn from various courses and will during their week-long visit help SDA students in various discipline of learning.

Speaking to the Daily Observer shortly after landing at the Banjul International Airport, Belinda Ball, Tarmworth College Students Services Manager who doubles as the leader of the group, expressed delight for the warmth and hospitable welcome accorded them.

According to her, the visit is meant to implement the exchange programmes that was agreed by the two schools some two years back, noting that this is their third visit to SDA since the twining programme commenced. "During the one week stay, we will conduct teacher training for SDA staff, while our students will conduct academic sessions with the SDA students in a bid to exchange new ideas of learning as well as to broaden the academic scope of the students'' she said.

Madam Belinda Ball expressed her College's resolve to invest in SDA both financially and technically in the quest to standardise the school to an institution of academic excellence. She expressed hope that the existing twining programme will continue from strenght to strenght.

For his part, Prosper Pipim, principal of SDA school who accompanied the guest from UK, lauded the initiative describing it as a milestone development in the annals of SDA. He hailed their twining counterpart for the warm and hospitable reception accorded to them during their stay in the United Kingdom. He described his trip as a fruitful noting that the knowledege gain from it cannot be overemphasised.

'' During my trip, key issues were discussed such as the finalisation of the Memorandum of Understang with Tarmworth College Board of administrators for both students and staff of the two schools to make exchange visits. We also discussed at length for the posibility of incoperating vocational courses into SDA whereas students who pursue such courses at SDA will be certified by Tarmworth College at the end of their various courses" he said.

He reiterated the college board's fullest assurance to transformed the SDA into an institution of academic excellence noting that plans are also in the pipeline to established SDA College in The Gambia.

Samuel Mendy, Head Master of the SDA Lower Basic School also agreed that the twining programme will go a long way in the realisation of their academic dreams.

He noted that SDA have benefit tremendously from their twining counterparts, citing last year's gift of a fourty foot container loaded with educational materials and an another fourty foot container loaded with educational materials due in the Gambia later this year as a testimony. He then commended Pastor EP Smith, Director of the SDA Educational Centre for spearheading the initiative.