By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh
The Minister of Tourism and Culture, Hamat NK Bah, has questioned the relevance of studying Political Science and other social sciences programmes to national development, noting that President Barrow is committed to providing Gambians with quality education in science and technology that will aid in the development of the country, rather than following the colonial education system.
Minister Bah was speaking to an audience in Farafeeni, on Tuesday, on the second day of the president’s Meet the People Tour 2023.
He said that the current education system is badly designed, arguing that it is time for Africa to visit its educational policies.
“Do you know what they teach us? Master’s Degree in French, Doctorate Degree in English, degree in Political Science, that’s what they teach us. What is the use of that in the country? This is what we want to change today,” he said.
He went on to cite the University of The Gambia as an example, saying the university graduates hundreds of students in political science every year but only a few in the sciences.
“When you look at the University of The Gambia during graduation, you will see 500–600 lawyers, history teachers, political science, hundreds of graduates. But when you look at the sciences and medicine, you will see only a few,” he said.
He argued that the current education system in Africa is a recipe for underdevelopment.
He even linked the current education system to the mass exodus of young people from Africa to the ‘backway’ [irregular migration] in Europe.
“Bad education system is the recipe for our young people dying in the sea in Asia and [in] Africa. The time has come for governments of Africa and Asia to revisit their educational policies,” he pointed out.
Bah, while addressing the issue of irregular migration, advises parents not to motivate their children to embark on the journey.
