OPINION
By Yaya A Bojang (Bojis)
Gambia has adopted a learning system that has been long-lasting for decades, and every student grapples to scale this system high enough to be seen by the public. It’s not too long since we celebrated the outstanding performance of the Grade 12 students, and now, too, we are celebrating the cheerful performance of the Grade 9 students in the country.
The jubilation of this achievement by the schools coincided with the Teacher’s Day. Teacher’s Day is a day that is recollected by many writers, especially among the teachers about the remarkable efforts of teachers in changing the lives of others – a poor student in Sandu becomes a minister or a businessman because of the impact of the teachers on him. However, many writers lamented the ordeals faced by teachers: the lack of attention on teachers, the under remuneration, and the disproportionate salary against their efforts. But then, it is not something that’s echoed by the government – the largest population of civil servants but cannot fight for their own upliftment – a lack of unity. Wait! I will not sound verbatim about this remark on teachers. If it’s a colour, the writers have painted the ordeal equal to a country-size wall.
Reflecting on EDUSA Nation Tour- 2023 campaign on TVET Education for the need to institutionalise technical and vocational learning in our education system, I am with the strong belief that learning 9 subjects at the upper level is tormenting and less impactful considering the demand for creativity and innovation in our educational and economic development.
Simply, education is the acquisition of desirable knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are beneficial to society. Therefore, education is meant to help and support and positively impact society. How many of us became dependent on our parents after Grade 9? All of us. And the same for Grade 12.
Urgently, our curriculum should be tailored based on the needs of society – the areas of demand by society and also the country. Precisely, I am advocating that specialisation should start as early as the lower level and be realised at the upper level. Where students could fully have a point of direction in their academic journey and could have an impact on their lives and society at large. We cannot be too ambitious to grab all these subjects at a go and intend to be a know-all, never. In fact, all that knowledge becomes volatile after your exams – effects of memorisation and rote learning. I therefore contend that having 3 credits in woodwork, metalwork, and mechanics with a practical knowledge of them is more meaningful than Aggregate Six or the 9As or credits. But our minds cannot come to terms with this because the system hoodwinked us into believing AGG 6 and 9 CREDITS are yardsticks for outstanding performance. But the system can correct itself and accommodate the real thoughts of academic excellence.
Seriously, let’s revisit our curriculum to cater to the demanding demands of our society and the country at large. The article is already lengthy to add the unimaginable consequence of our curriculum, but I can tell you that The Standard Newspaper revealed that most UTG students find themselves doing a job different from their areas of study. Isn’t that ridiculous? We need to be creative. Students can learn about poultry as a course from the upper level and specialise in it and have a career, the same for aquaculture, the same agroforestry, the same crop production, and be assessed based on that in practical means.
It is high time we changed our mentality about our standards of excellence in our academia. Our education should reflect the needs of our society for economic upliftment.
