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The president of the Republic, HE Adama Barrow has said that the new Gambia College Annex in Basse in the Upper River Region, will contribute greatly in reducing rural-urban migration, as well as then immigration of the youths outside the country.
He said: “The teachers who will graduate from this annex, will stay here and provide our children with the quality education they deserve. I assure you further that my government will continue to bring development to the doorsteps of every Gambian.
As a people, we must educate our children to guarantee their future and the development of this nation. We cannot achieve this if we restrict access to education.”
Barrow made these remarks on Monday during the inauguration of the Gambia College School of Education’s Annex in Basse.
The president said the construction of this edifice, is in fulfilment of one of his government’s Constitutional mandates – Right to Educational opportunities and making Higher education accessible to all. He described education as a key priority of his government, saying it is clearly manifested in the National Development Plan 2018-2021.
Mr. Barrow stated that his government has been remedying the disadvantages that the country’s provincial people have been facing especially in the past, when children had to abandon their parents in search of college education in the Greater Banjul Area.
“Since I assumed the mantle of leadership of this country, my government has taken, and continues to take concrete steps to make education, in general, and tertiary and higher education, in particular, accessible. In the process, we found a willing partner, The MRC-Holland Foundation who sponsored this great edifice. A little over a year ago, we gathered here to lay the foundation stone of the first ever outreach campus of the Gambia College. This educational annex, which will be inaugurated shortly, will also play a significant part in reducing the rural-urban migration and by extension immigration of our youths outside the country,” he disclosed.
He further expressed optimism that this project will contribute to alleviating poverty and numerous challenges faced by the rural areas.
“For the people of the Upper River and Central River Regions in general, I implore you to embrace the opportunity provided for by this annex.
I urge you to send your children to school to feed the annex with the required number of students. It is through education that children would realise their full potentials. I thank the donors, the governing council, management and staff of The Gambia College, through the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, for working tirelessly to make this occasion possible,” he concludes.
Written by The Digest