Suntou,
I am sure you will agree with me that all things (job security, proper 
pay and personal safety) equal, few Gambians including yourself would 
want to migrate to the West. And who says that an educated Gambian 
living in the Gambia is more valuable than that who lives in Japan/New 
Zealand, Spain or USA?  Bytheway, did you check to see what effect 
recent changes at Gamtel had on this fellow's decision to migrate?

Suntou, it is not really difficult for one to figure out that  many 
Gambians (male, female, educated and illiterate) leave because the 
Gambia failed to provide them Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of 
Happiness (Thomas Jefferson).  Trust me if the government of the Gambia 
spends its time and energy to ensure these three things for the 
citizens, few will think of migrating. And those already away will 
surely return if things improve.

If we do the arithmetic - A university graduate (MSc engineer) at middle 
level management position in the civil service earns about D15,000 per 
month take home.  This is less than 700 today's daollars. With 
moonlighting (as building construction supervisor or running after 
travel per diem) the guy is doomed to embezzle public funds just to put 
food on the table.
The same person in the US could take home $5000 per month. This could 
easily guarantee him a mortgage, a car loan, food at the table, a chance 
to buy a government allocate plot of land in the Gambia for $12,000 and  
a regular monthly stipen for family back home  of $100(D2000 todays dollar).

May we should see government scholarship as investment on its citizens. 
If the return on investment is higher when recipients work in Mexico 
than in the Gambia, let it be. Bonding or other restrictions could only 
worsen the situation.


Malanding Jaiteh

 

Suntou Touray wrote:

>some Gambian students are fortunate enough to gain scholarship into 
>expensive overseas universities.this is a big opportunity for every hard working 
>son/daughter's of the gambia.but i have one major concern.the government 
>spend thausands of dollars into this students .what policies do the 
>government or regulators put in place to make sure the best is gain from this 
>students ? again ,what measures are in place to make sure some of this 
>students return home after graduation ?
>
>i have seen quite a few government sponsored students who overstay or 
>return home only to come back to europe or america in a very short period.
>
>i just heard of a case recently of a gamtel sponsored students who spend 
>over three years doing his degree and then his masters .he return home four 
>months ago . i heard he got a job in u.s and he is planning to travel to america 
>by next month.what a waste of public fund.on average a sponsored student 
>spend 20000 dollars par year .how many civil servants can get their wages 
>paid from that ? why are this people abandoning our country after the tax 
>payers money has been spent on them ? 
>who is to blame for this mess ? many have gone  breifly to the government 
>just to be seen and then disappear into either non-government organistion or 
>some other work places. what sort of bond do this people have to sign ? i am 
>not the least jealous of any one who went through a government scholarship 
>program ,i only want appropraite repayment back to the gambian people.it 
>doesn't make any one wiser to cheat our system.i may not aggree with 
>government in place but if any one accept a scholarship from them ,then it 
>only right you fulfil the terms of the aggrrement.
>
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