Dose Denies Teacher Shortage

The Daily Observer (Banjul)
NEWS
December 2, 2002
Posted to the web December 3, 2002

By Momodou Bah
Banjul

The Department of State for Education (DoSE) has denied reports of teacher
shortage in schools.

A press release from DoSE states that there are 4,363 teachers employed by
the Government. Out of these 434 are foreigners, 125 are on contract and
1,150 are unqualified and these include 500 trainee teachers.

"The argument that the foreign teachers account for a bulk of the teaching
force is not statistically correct. DoSE is appreciative of the role played
by these foreign teachers especially in the Upper Basic level but the
public can be assured that enrolments at Gambia College for the Higher
Teachers Certificate (HTC) which has increased from an annual average of 60
to 300 is geared towards addressing this dependence. The first batch of
graduates took up their assignments last September." The released
added: "Forty headmasters and senior teachers are undergoing courses at the
University of The Gambia leading to Bachelor of Education degrees. All
these trainees are fully sponsored by Government through DoSE, another
clear indication of efforts to addressing adequacy of teaching staff with
the requisite academic and professional training.

"In the 2003 recurrent budgetary allocation, DoSE has created additional
senior positions in the schools system to allow for a re-classification of
schools and more importantly for upward staff mobility.

"Therefore, the adequacy of staff numbers is based on policy indicators on
targets such as the most efficient combinations for the utilisation of
existing resources including double shift and multi-grade teaching.

"DoSE is cognisant of the enormous challenges it faces in providing quality
basic education for all children especially the most deprived and un-
reached who constitute about 15 per cent of school age population.

"The recently concluded 'Big Bang campaign' has positively impacted on
enrolments and in Region Six alone, nine new schools have been opened this
academic year.

"DoSE acknowledges difficulties in the posting of teachers to remote
regions and locations. It is not accurate to conclude that these teachers
refuse to go on posting because of lack of incentives. But the communities
must begin to accept their responsibility in terms of making teachers feel
comfortable within their set-ups rather than discriminate against
teachers."


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Copyright © 2002 The Daily Observer. All rights reserved. Distributed by
AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).



--
There is a time in the life of every problem when it is big enough to see,
yet small enough to solve (Mike Leavitt)

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