By: Christian Conteh
His Excellency President Adama Barrow has pledged his government’s commitment to providing accessible quality education countrywide.
The president made this commitment as he delivered a statement over the weekend at the 14th Convocation Ceremony of the University of the Gambia.
President Barrow noted that the key objective of taking this approach is to break the existing social and economic barriers that hinder progress and quality living conditions.
“My government will remain committed to providing accessible quality education countrywide. A key objective for taking this approach is to break the existing social and economic barriers that hinder progress and quality living conditions.
Another major objective, of course, is to enable the youth to realise and unleash their full potential,” President Barrow said.
The theme for the convocation was, “national unity, patriotism and nation building.”
The president noted that the findings of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission (TRRC) provide enough evidence, indicating that there is an urgent need for Gambians to engage in deep self-examination, and for them to commit themselves to unite the nation and build on their diversity and strengths for the welfare of all citizens.
Education he said must be at the centre of efforts to moderate behaviour, change attitudes and contribute positively to national development and peaceful coexistence.
In the process, he calls on all Gambians to value and sustain the noble tenets of good governance, democracy and the rule of law. All these he said make it necessary to recognise education as a basis for national development.
Formal education plays an important role in nation building, it facilitates access to knowledge and skills, irrespective of socio-economic background and personal circumstances.
Institutions of higher education, in particular, contribute most significantly to character building, besides producing the trained and educated bulk of a country’s workforce.
