As we discuss the way forward for The Gambia, I wish to put online piece by
piece some of the policies of The APRC government in terms of education,
health, investment etc.
Have a good day, Gassa
THE APRC EDUCATION PLAN AND PROGRMME
The APRC Education Plan and Programme is not only all inclusive but is
particularly sensitive to the learning needs of all children, catering
especially for the girl-child, women, the physically challenged, the youth
and the poor. The programme covers the whole spectrum of education from the
Basic level, through to Secondary, Vocational and Technical, Tertiary and
University Education.
This is premised on the truism that one of the threats to rapid
socio-economic development is illiteracy and ignorance. The APRC government
will continue its all out war against illiteracy in order to achieve the
triple objective of making education not only accessible but also relevant,
of good quality and affordable.
BASIC EDUCATION
The APRC Education programme embraces the expanded vision of Basic Education
for all. Commencing at the very first level, the Education Programme will
continue to promote a holistic approach to early child education and
development with private providers through training of the caregivers.
Close supervision of Nursery and Childcare centres to ensure standards set
for children-friendly environment and care for ages 3 –6 are met in every
part of the country, especially in the rural areas where we will continue to
work closely with Community Development offices. From ages 7 – 16 a
nine-year uninterrupted Basic Education which has already been attained in
the Upper River, Central River, Lower River, and North Bank Division in the
last term of the APRC government will continue to be pursued. For the next
five years KMC, Banjul and Western Division with over 90% transition from
grade 6-7 will be assured of 100% transition. The provision of universal
access to Basic Education will be complemented with enhanced quality and
relevant curricula, the modalities of which are already in place through the
increased output of teachers at the Gambia College and the continued
training and retraining of teachers through in-service, diploma and degree
levels training at the University of the Gambia among others. Through the
enhanced training of teachers over the last seven years the output of PTC
tripled while HTCs quadrupled. In the next five years, a minimum of 80%
trained teachers is anticipated at the Basic level.
The construction programme for additional classrooms and the establishment
of new schools to cope with the expansion of universal Basic Education will
continue. In addition, for very remote areas, the programme will include
purpose built teachers quarters already started with the schools built in
some rural communities for the enhancement of teacher welfare. The
motivation of teachers will be given the fullest attention possible to
ensure that teachers enjoy the profession and give of their very best for
the total development of all Gambian children.
Universal access will be assured by making special provisions for the
girl-child and physically challenged through the incentive package that
assures free education of all girls in poverty stricken communities and
special allowances for teachers and care givers in Special Education
institutions like the school for the deaf, blind and other children with
learning difficulties. Meanwhile, children with mild physical disaffections
will be mainstreamed while additional facilities/centres created in some of
the rural communities for others with more severe conditions.
Already the girls' scholarship scheme to boost the enrolment, performance
and retention of girls exists in Upper River and Central River, the
designated two poorest regions, for over 2100 girls. The scheme will be
extended into the Lower River and North Bank Divisions commencing after the
Presidential Elections this year. In Banjul, KMC and Western Divisions the
scheme will specifically target girls from poor families and girls who
perform well in Maths, Science and Technology. In this regard 400
scholarships for girls will be provided in the greater Banjul area
commencing after the 2001 elections.
For the 10% of the school-aged population in the Madrassa, the curriculum is
being synchronized with that of conventional schools and English language
introduced as a subject. In-service training will be extended to Koranic
teachers for skills upgrading.
To enhance attendance of all children especially in poorer regions, school
lunches are provided for over 60, 000 children in the last five years. This
figure will be doubled to accommodate the urban poor in the greater Banjul
area schools in the next government of the APRC.
The expanded vision of Basic Education includes literacy and skills training
for women, youth and other adults who missed out on earlier opportunities.
The inputs of all NGOs will be harnessed and through the support of
polyvalent teachers add value to the literacy and skills training programme.
It is envisaged that by targeting a minimum of 20,000 illiterate and
semi-literate youth, especially girls and women, the illiterate population
for ages 15 and above will drop drastically by the end of the next term of
the APRC Government and their participation in national development
enhanced.
SECONDARY EDUCATION
Secondary Education will be expanded to double the numbers of pre- APRC
government, particularly in the poorer and hitherto deprived regions of the
country. In the next five years, the plan is to further upgrade some of the
Upper Basic Schools, particularly in the more remote communities, to cater
for the transition from grade 9. Private providers and Area Councils and
Municipalities will be enabled to operate more at this level particularly in
the Greater Banjul Area. The emphasis at this level will more and more
focus on Science and Technology studies, the strengthening of which
commenced in the last five years. The computer technology programme, which
is in its infancy stages, will be further developed and expanded to the
lower levels eventually.
It must however be emphasized that promotion at this level will continue to
be strictly based on merit, which calls for the extra support of parents to
ensure that their children work hard to take full advantage of the vast
opportunities that the APRC provides and will continue to further improve
upon in the next term.
VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING
The great progress attained during the last term will be further built upon
in partnership with the private sectors to neutralize the heavy dependence
on non-Gambians in the informal sector. More skills and vocational centres
will be established particularly in the rural areas where only a few exist.
The GTTI will be upgraded into a Polytechnic and the capacity of the Foundry
at the GTTI will be strengthened to help with the financing of this sector
to orbit into industrialization. In this regard the relevance of the
curriculum will be reviewed for its responsiveness to the labour market
needs. The examinations for the lower level courses will be localized. A
new Vocational and Technical Education and Training policy will be launched
and a Training Authority established for quality assurance.
UNIVERSITY AND TERTIARY EDUCATION
This level, which received lot of attention in the last 5 years, will see
further growth during the next term as it will serve as the centre piece in
the transformation of the Gambia into a centre for learning in the
sub-region. The scope of its programme will be expanded through
partnerships with external universities to further build on the credibility
and the internationalisation of its programme. Information and
Communications Technology, the sciences, medicine and agriculture will
continue to serve as the main focus of development and will capitalize on
the state-of-the-art equipment to tap the immense potential of advanced
technology to offer distance education to reach the presently un-reached at
more affordable rates, there by adding the virtual facility to the singular
most important achievement in the education sector during the last term of
the APRC government. The university of the Gambia, already a model, will be
taken to greater heights in the ensuing years if voted back into office.
More Gambian youth with the disciplined disposition to acquire higher
education will be guaranteed some degree of support to fulfil their dreams
and join the already over 1000 plus youths who have benefited and continue
to benefit from this great contribution of the APRC government to
socio-economic development of The Gambia.
There is a time in the life of every problem when it is big enough to see,
yet small enough to solve. -Mike- Levitt-
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