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Tomorrow is April 24: The 50th Independence Anniversary of the Gambia.
Teach the Children Our True History for National Salvation
by Madi Jobarteh
Our children must be taught our true history if they are to grow up into honest, responsible and patriotic politicians and public officials who will defend the rights and best interests of their people at all times and refrain from defrauding them or abusing their office, privileges and power.
Our nation cannot develop in the absence of her children but only if her children truly and fully realise their duty and role which cannot come without the true knowledge of the history of their people! Marcus Garvey said a person without the true knowledge of her history is like a tree without roots. That means a dead tree, a dead people!
The current SES and history curriculums in our primary and secondary schools are very limited and distorted. They cannot inform, inspire and mould a child into a patriotic adult citizen!
The true history of The Gambia and the story of Edward Francis Small must be taught accurately and thoroughly so that our children are inspired early with knowledge and feelings of patriotism, loyalty to country and service to their people. That history tells us that The Gambia became independent on 24 April 1970 and Edward Francis Small is indeed the Father of the Gambian Nation and Independence!
The major reason why corruption and dishonesty is so rampant in our citizens, more so among our elected and appointed public officials is because of the kind of education we receive. Our education system is still colonial in form and content hence a typically educated Gambian has no deep feelings for country. He has no scruples to cheat and lie to his people just to steal public property and abuse power. He is inefficient and lacking vision and commitment to the country. This is why we could produce this kind of governments since Independence in which, despite having highly ‘educated’ officials yet these governments are so useless, dishonest, exploitative and oppressive.
Just look at how easy it is for public officials from the President to the primary school teacher can just lie, cheat and abandon their sacred duties to our people without any remorse in broad daylight! The reason for this is because we receive a very weak and disconnected education. This is what is called miseducation!
Only a few among us avoid the trappings of these miseducation somehow to become honest and dedicated to the people. It is therefore obvious that something is fundamentally wrong with our education system otherwise how come the thousands of well ‘educated’ politicians, officials, technocrats and citizens cannot still take this country out of poverty and indebtedness?
Look at our ministries and tell me if they are not schooled up to university? But have they been able to manage our economy well? Have they been able to produce an industrialized Gambia? Have they been able to give us good healthcare, efficient utility services or decent community development or good roads or solve our food and agriculture needs or address our sports or ensure a developed waste management system or promote human rights and deliver justice or make our institutions transparent, efficient, effective and accountable or make the country wealthy with all of its huge natural resources? Never! Ask yourself why?
If you do, you will realise that the Gambian intellectual is the most miseducated person on earth hence we cannot do for ourselves. Until today we depend on loans and aid and the more loans and aid we receive the more we get into debt and poverty? On top of those huge loans and fat grants the government would also tax the people so heavily! It is as if we do not have economic and financial experts! Yet we have a whole Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs! Which economy do they manage? Useless! Corrupt! Irresponsible! That’s what they are! All they produce is Economic Mismanagement and Financial Indiscipline!
The only success The Gambia Government has achieved since Independence to date is the production and distribution of poverty, indebtedness and underdevelopment! Look around you and tell me what you see in your life, home, community and country? I see only poverty and backwardness around me.
No society develops in the absence of true, proper and relevant education! After 50 years of Independence it is very very obvious that our education system is not true and proper and it is hugely irrelevant. Yes, we have produced highly qualified doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists, economists, agriculturalists, educators, technicians and experts in all fields yet they could not develop this country for 50 good years. Why? The answer lies in the distorted knowledge of history they are taught.
It is in the teaching of history that a child knows herself – her worth and esteem. It is in that knowledge that the child comes to know his or her duty to herself and her people and then fulfills that mission diligently without fail or hesitation. History teaches you to know the history and experiences of your people so that you will know your position, role and duty to your people – to love and respect them and be prepared to die for them but never to betray or cheat them. Without that knowledge of true history you could be highly educated but you cannot be of any service to your people. Rather you will be ready to betray and defraud your people just like that! This is the tragedy killing The Gambia and Africa!
Let us teach our children the true history of our people so they grow up into true patriots! Our true history is that The Gambia became independent on 24 April 1970! Period.
For The Gambia our home!