By: Dawda Baldeh
Ebrima Jallow, commonly known as The Ghetto Pen, a second-year law student at the University of The Gambia (UTG) has called on authorities investigating the college’s sex-for-grade scandal to ensure speedy and independent investigation.
Ebrima, who is known for his style of poetry, said it is taking too long since the scandal was reported, saying authorities concerned must speed up the investigation to restore the school’s integrity.
“I commend the authorities for establishing an investigative panel to look into the allegations which I believe is a great move. [However], the authorities should not interfere [with the investigations] but maintain an independent panel that will carefully conduct a fair and transparent inquiry,” he emphasized.
He recommended naming and shaming of any person found wanting after the investigation to deter the commission of such ‘illicit conduct’.
The Ghetto Pen described the sex-for-grade news as ‘disturbing’.
The law student believed that such acts, if not handled properly, would undermine the integrity of the school and its students in the international community.
“Unfortunately, such scandals could smear the reputation of the school, so until and unless the report is furnished, I am not confident that sanity would be restored.
It is heartbreaking and I am deeply saddened. Looking forward to the outcome of the investigation,” he told The Fatu Network.
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Below is a recent poem the law student wrote on the scandal:
“SEX-FOR-GRADES
Some call it sexually transmitted grades
It’s when a lecturer and a student engage in a trade Quite unfortunate, a hotcake’s ‘D’ was edited to ‘A*
It came with a persuasion to lay on the bed for the lecturer to perpetuate
A nauseating norm that places mediocrity at the top of the food chain
Devastate! I don’t wish to boast of such a student as our graduate Safeguard your dignity, so it’s better to honorably fail
Zip up, dissociate with the vulnerable, and avoid the dating game
It’s not in the interest of our educational development; the university’s image is at stake
Suspect anything concerning SEX-FOR-GRADES, don’t procrastinate
Report the matter and the authorities will investigate
So, anyone found wanting must be brutally dismissed, named, and shamed.”
The Ghetto Pen who is using the powers of words in creating awareness on issues affecting society is said to have written over 30 poems on pertinent socio-political and economic issues.
