By: Dawda Baldeh
Students of the Gambia College Basse Annex have raised serious hygiene concerns and management flaws within their dormitory, calling for urgent action to address the situation.
Speaking to The Fatu Network under anonymity, students said their repeated complaints to the residential manager and the CEOs of Brighter Future have been ignored. “Despite repeated requests to the residential manager and CEOs of Brighter Future, our concerns have fallen on deaf ears,” they stated.
The grievances highlighted include poor facilities, financial injustice, and administrative flaws. “Our rooms are designed for four students, but we often accommodate eight because of our vulnerability,” one student explained. They added that the isolation of the campus leaves them with no option but to remain in the overcrowded dormitories.
According to the students, conditions inside the dormitory are worsening. “The college is in the bush and students find it very difficult to stay in the surrounding communities. We have no choice but to stay in that condition where the speed of the fans is low, sockets have problems, showers and taps are faulty, and some of the dormitory roofs leak during the rainy season,” they said. Despite their complaints, they claimed no meaningful changes have been made.
Students fear that exposure to these conditions compromises their comfort and poses health and safety risks. They further alleged that they pay D300 per month for accommodation plus D100 for cash power, yet management continues to ignore their plight.
“To add insult to injury, we are often denied our attestations for unclear reasons from the residential manager,” the students alleged. They accused the management of delays and unexplained refusals to issue attestations, which they consider unjust. “When we raised our concerns, the admin claimed they had no involvement in our accommodation, but they still deny us attestations because of arrears. This is injustice,” they lamented.
As the challenges persist, the students are calling on the authorities to renovate their dormitories, improve safety measures, and ensure transparency in the accommodation system. Efforts to obtain comments from the school authorities remain unsuccessful.
