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Momodou
Denmark
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 Posted - 10 Apr 2008 : 16:03:34
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Gambia College Holds Its 25th Graduation Ceremony
By Lamin A. Darboe
The 25th graduation ceremony of the Gambia College was held on Saturday, 5 April, 2008 at the Brikama Campus.
In his introductory remarks, the Chairman of the Gambia College Council, Alpha A. Khan, disclosed that three years ago his council was appointed by the Secretary of State for Education to run the affairs of the college as well as manage the relevant tertiary institutions that would train highly qualified and competent teachers, agricultural workers, nurses, mid wives and public health workers. He said the standards of our teachers and other professional workers are going down; that in the recruitment of teachers, the College continues to have difficulty in acquiring enough and better qualified candidates in its training programmes.
“Most of the facilities at the college especially the dormitories are at the point of run down and needed some attention. Teaching and learning materials are inadequate and the staff morale and motivation is very low” he remarked. He added that with all these constraints, his Council has the “misfortune of having to implement an over due non-accommodation college base.”
Mr. Khan said that the challenges are daunting but that the Council will do its utmost to address the issues. “We will organise and take the work of the Council through the appropriate and relevant authorities on issues relating to administration and finance, promotion, discipline and academic work of the staff and students welfare” he said.
Chairman Khan informed the gathering that a sub committee was also established to attend to issues and make recommendations to the main Council for further deliberation and actions, so as to ensure that no stone will be left unturned.
According to Mr. Khan, the College, unlike other tertiary institutions, does not charge tuition fees because it is fully subvented and its funding comes from the government; that his Council, therefore, has to address the issue of financing the operations of the College to ensure sustainability of its programs.
“While we were working with the various SoS’s for Basic and Higher Education, Fatou Lamin Faye and Crispin Grey Johnson, respectively, in order to secure funds for the rehabilitation of the college facilities, we were asked to make policy by not providing accommodation to students but instead give them reasonable stipends to ease their stay in Brikama and the environs during the period of their studie” said the Council Chairperson. Mr. Khan urged the permanent secretaries for Health and Agriculture to increase the D150 stipend given to their students stipend to D500 per month. He disclosed that state department for Education has already responded to this request and has increased their students’ stipend to D500 since October 2007.
Mr. Khan disclosed that when the dormitories are rehabilitated it is not going to be free for all. In the area of academic programme, fees and funding, Mr. Khan revealed that his council has accepted the current policy and the training provided at the college since it is very essential for the social and economic development of the country, noting that government will continue to fund this programme.
The Council mandated and encouraged the College to come out with the demand driven courses of which they can charge a reasonable tuition fees.
He indicated that the School of Education has introduced a full time certificate course on early childhood development and has become the most popular course with over 400 students registered. Mr. Khan added that the School of Agriculture also designed and developed a certificate course on animal husbandry, with emphasis on horses and donkeys. He said the course is funded by the Gambia horses and donkeys group, an NGO working in the Gambia.
In his report, the principal of the college Dr. Badou Senghore said graduation ceremonies are moments of joy and thanks giving shared with friends, family members, loved ones and all those who contribute to the success of ones career.
Dr. Senghore disclosed to the audience that Gambia College has recently launched a new website called www.gambiacollege.gm. He said with this website, reports and other relevant information about the college and other tertiary institutions can be viewed from there.
Dr. Senghore said his staff is fully aware that information technology forms an integral part of any institution of higher education, noting that proper utilization of IT eases and enhances teaching and learning.
The principal said IT can provide a great deal of information for students and staff regarding any area of their topic. He said that IT has enhanced communication and collaboration around the campus and around the world.
“In today’s world computer skills and easy access to information can define success.” Dr. Senghore revealed that currently, Gambia college has over 100 computers in Brikama and Banjul all connected to the internet. He said this facilitates the management of network for staff and students to move easily between Brikama campus and Banjul with their individual account.
According to him, resources are now available to staff and students of the college and includes three computer lab tops in Brikama and one computer lab in Banjul. “We are working on opening an internet café and printing services for college, community and the environment. The revenue generated from these services will contribute to the sustenance of the college.”
For the revitalisation of the poultry programme at the college, Dr. Senghore said that they have secured funding, which is in response to the challenge by the College Council for the college to come up with income generating programmes. The College has secured funding to the tune of ($10,000) ten thousand US dollars, as part of FAO Telefood programme and 3,500 three thousand five hundred Canadian dollars.
He said the year under review showed the introduction of courses in specialization in Arabic teachers’ certificate education, Christian religious education and physical and health education.
In his report, Dr. Senghore registered his profound thanks to FTI and EFA, without whose support, he said, the consistent and weekly supervision of the trainees in all regions of the country would not have been possible.
For her part the guest speaker, Mrs. Adelaide Sosseh, echoed the need to bridge the gap between boys and girls. She said in our society, women are traditionally seen as weak or incomplete; that most of the roles are designed specifically for men. She said this trend towards women should be revisited.
Madam Sosseh also observed that because of the biological characteristic of being male or female that are genetically determined before birth, women are usually discriminated.
She said the discrimination against women does not only exist in homes, societies but even at the school level. She said boys would always be allowed to pursue their education so long as they will but that this opportunity does not apply to girls.
Madam Sosseh also lamented that despite great efforts by the government to make education easily accessible to every Gambian, there are still thousands of Gambian children who are not in school because of crises at home.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issues
Issue No. 41/2008, 9 – 10 April 2008
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