Hi!
    I hereby join Halifa and Kebba in expressing my utter disgust at the
totalitarian and unjustifiable measures contained in the Codes of Conduct.
The concoction of such utterly irresponsible codes indicts not the students'
disciplinary problems but the school authorities themselves and displays
their ineptitude in handling the students' concerns. To think that creating
such codes would deter determined students is a gross display of mediocrity
in reasoning. Didn't those school authorities read about how the students
braved armed paramilitary men chanting that they were not afraid to die?
Didn't they read about how those students stoned the paramilitary even after
they saw their fellow students being shot and killed? Enacting such
draconian measures as contained in the codes violates not only the students'
civil liberties but presents a recipe for disaster the effects of which will
still be felt decades from now.

    I believe that the solution to the problems being experienced in the
education sector lies not in dictatorial codes but rather in dialogue and
mutual respect. The system of discounting young people's opinions and
feelings and instead serving on a platter, non-negotiable decrees, is a
backward tendency that is harmful to the development of our country.
Alienating the students and encroaching on their civil liberties will create
more problems than it will solve. Banning for example picnics and so on is
rather petty. Can the country afford to expel students just because they are
engaged in social activities? Come on. Maybe someone needs to wake the
school authorities up and inform them that it is the year 2000 and countries
and their educational institutions are moving ahead and not backwards.
Engage the students in dialogue. Form a body representing the principals,
teachers, students, Education Department and other affected parties and try
to explore ways and means of working together for a better system of
education that will produce intelligent, independent and responsible
students and not fear-filled, programmed robots.

    I urge Halifa as Kebba has already done to file a suit challenging the
constitutionality of some of the codes. If it is not possible for Halifa to
do so maybe we should instruct the lawyers we are going to hire to file such
a suit. Let us show the school authorities that they cannot display their
incompetence in dealing with discipline problems by drafting draconian
codes. Let us show them that there are laws governing all aspects of Gambian
life and that the violation of such laws will not be left unchallenged.
Thanks.

Buharry.

P.S.
       How can they determine GAMSU's mandate? How can they determine who
should be a member or not. The last time I checked, GAMSU was meant to be a
union of Gambian students. Aren't all students in the country students
anymore?
        D.S.

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