I can't believe my eyes. This is outrageous. On top of your clear condemnation of these draconian laws through this letter I would urge you (if you have not done so already) to file a lawsuit before the courts to declare this piece of trash unconstitutional. Like you said, this has no place in a civilized society. All you Yaya sypathizers do you think these are the actions of a remorseful leader who is in search of the truth? WE MUST GET RID OF THIS CANCER BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. >From: foroyaa <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: THE NEED TO TAKE TWO STEPS FORWARD INSTEAD OF ONE STEP BACKWARD >Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 15:15:51 +0100 > >3 May 2000. > > >President of the Republic, >State House, >Muamar Ghadaffi Avenue, >BANJUL. > > > >Secretary of State for Education, >Department of State for Education, >Bedford Place Building, >BANJUL. > > > >The Gambia Teachers' Union, >G.T.U. Headquarters, >Kanifing, >KSMD. > > > >The Gambia Conferences of Principals of Junior and Senior Secondary >Schools, >C/O Department of State for Education, >Bedford Place Building, >BANJUL. > > > >THE NEED TO TAKE TWO STEPS FORWARD INSTEAD OF ONE STEP BACKWARD > >The Codes of Conduct which have reportedly been drawn by "the Gambia >Conferences of Principals of Junior and Senior Secondary Schools and the >Gambia Teachers' Union Executive" for Gambian schools are quite >instructive. > > >It is incredible to us, as it must be for everyone who sees the students as >the architects of this nation's future, that such Codes of Conduct are >prepared by the two bodies mentioned. > > >Practice is a teacher. Those who wish to teach the students virtues must >themselves be motivated by noble visions and missions. It is the unvarying >characteristics of those who have no regard of the dignity and self-worth >of >the human being to draft draconian rules whose object is not to enhance the >development of anyone but simply to be repressive. > > >Suffice it to say, such a tendency is often characterised by a total >disregard for the fundamental pillars which underpin the preservation of a >society based on justice and respect for the liberty of the human person. > > >You would agree with us that the lessons that African children need to >learn >are that they have the supreme responsibility to build the type of future >that their own children will be proud to inherit. The best way to teach >them >this lesson is for the adults of today to strive to build the type of >society that the students of today will be proud to inherit. > > >Parents, teachers and adults need to recognise the inherent dignity and >worth of the student. They must prepare them in an environment based on >tolerance, freedom, solidarity, understanding and happiness. Once a child >is >seen as an evil person incapable of rational thinking and deserving the >stick and social exclusion through suspensions and expulsions, the human >conscience is choked of life and a beast created who views the world with >hostility and who seeks revenge against a hostile world. > > >It is this recognition that the human being needs harmonious development >that compelled humanity to develop certain just rules which are meant to be >implemented by the nations of the world. > > >One would have thought that authorities who seek to exercise control and >direction of our educational institutions would be guided by a thorough >understanding of how to guide students in the 21st Century. One would have >thought that they would not sink to arbitrariness in handling delicate >national affairs. > > >Our first concern is the arbitrariness shown in the formulation of the >Codes >of Conduct. Take Rule 12 of Part I. It states: > > >"12.1 For repeated acts of indiscipline, students are liable to be >suspended or expelled based on the gravity of the offence. >"12.2 Suspension should range from one day to twenty-seven days. >"12.3 A student expelled from one school must not be enrolled in any other >school." > > >Allow us to juxtapose Rule 12 with Rule 11 of Part I, which reads: > > >"11. STRIKES AND DEMONSTRATIONS > >"11.1 Strikes and demonstrations have no place within the school system >"11.2 Students concerns should be directed to the Student Welfare >Committee, >which should comprise teachers, guidance Counsellors, Chairpersons of PTAs >and the Student Council." > > >Part II, Rule 11 states that: > > >"11. STRIKES AND DEMONSTRATIONS > >"Engagement in strikes and demonstrations could result in expulsion. > > > > > >"12. SUSPENSION AND EXPULSION > >"12.1 Students who are suspended cannot be accepted back to school unless >they come with their parents. >"12.2 Records should be kept of students suspended so as to be used for >future references, e.g. testimonials, transcripts, etc. >"12.3 Students expelled from school will not be eligible for admission >anywhere else." > > >One may now ask: Where would such young people go? Will they not be part of >society? Can one expel them from being part of society? > > >It is very clear that no leadership which has a nation at heart could >possibly introduce any form of expulsion in a school system. > > >Countries have criminal justice systems. Students may find themselves >entangled in the courts being convicted of crimes. Even there, attempts >should be geared at rehabilitating them. >Expulsion of students from schools is a fascist rule which belongs only to >a fascist State. It is not reasonably justifiable in a democratic society. > > >Furthermore, Part I, Rule 9 states: > > >"EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES > >"Extra curricular activities are part of the school curriculum and as such >all students must be involved. >"9.1 All school clubs/societies must be registered with the school >authority. >"9.2 No school student should be a member of the Gambia Students' Union >(GAMSU) which is a union for students in tertiary institutions. >"9.3 School picnics, outings, excursions, etc. must only be organised with >the approval of the school Head with authorised staff supervision. >Permission from the parents should also be sought." > > >Part II, Rule 9 adds: > > >"9. EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES > >"9.1 Unauthorised picnics/excursions will result in suspension of >culprits. >"9.2 Clandestine affiliation with unapproved unions, clubs or other such >groups will result in indefinite suspension." > > >It is very clear from this that the direction of these Codes of Conduct is >to cultivate the embryo of a fascist state within the school system. What >is >dubbed clandestine activity would require informers within the school >system >to expose. What type of a society will our school system create in future? > > >There is nothing in the Rules which indicates rights for students. Nothing >is established on how innocence or guilt will be determined. School >administrators will simply be prosecutors and judges at the same time. Some >among the students will simply be recruited as informers to pass >information >to the authorities. > > >Suffice it to say, these Rules are established without any regard shown for >the provisions of the Constitution, the Education's Act and the Convention >on the Rights of the Child. > > >The Constitution of the Republic of The Gambia recognises the importance of >cultivating an environment where the person grows up as a human being with >rights and freedoms and obliges others to respect those rights and >freedoms. >It recognises that the cornerstone for building a peaceful society rests on >building a society where rights and freedoms are fully respected and >protected irrespective of race, colour, gender, language, religion, >political or other opinions, national or social origin or any other status. > > >Section 29 of the Constitution affirms the duty to enact legislations "in >the best interest of children." > > >Section 30 asserts that: > > >"All persons shall have the right to equal educational opportunities and >facilities and with a view to achieving a full realisation of that right- >"(a) basic education shall be free, compulsory and available to all; >"(b) secondary education, including technical and vocational education, >shall be made generally available and accessible to all by every >appropriate >means, and in particular, by the progressive introduction of free >education; >"(c) higher education shall be made equally accessible to all, on the basis >of capacity, by every appropriate means, and in particular, by progressive >introduction of free education; >"(d) functional literacy shall be encouraged or intensified as far as >possible; >'(e) the development of a system of schools with adequate facilities at all >levels shall be actively pursued." > > > >Article 15 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child states >categorically >that: > > >"State Parties recognise the rights of the child to freedom of association >and to freedom of peaceful assembly." > > >What laws exist which will enable a school authority to determine what >constitutes a legal or clandestine club? Apparently, all these things will >be arbitrarily determined. > > >In our view, what happened on 10 and 11 April 2000 would not have happened >if those who preside over the affairs of this nation had the necessary >foresight. Needless to say, if the right lessons are not learnt, the school >system will end up having to face the choice of expelling thousands of >school children from our school systems or allowing the Codes of Conduct to >collect dust for fear of the implications of implementing them. > > >What the moment requires is not the establishment of draconian rules. What >is required is the building of confidence in each other so that there will >be greater trust. Human beings do not aim to destroy those who care for >them. There are many teachers, headmasters and principals in the school >system. Some have developed close relationship with their students and do >not have disciplinary problems. > > >What is essential is to draw lessons from those who have been able to build >up a close rapport with their students in order to be able to exercise >direction and control over their schools. > > >The Education Act has not empowered Conferences of Principals, Headmasters >and Teachers' Union Executive to establish draconian rules. What Section 3 >of the Education Act establishes is an Advisory Council on education. > > >Section 4 asserts that: > > >"The Council shall advise and report to the Minister on questions of policy >affecting education and matters of educational significance, and to perform >such other duties as may be prescribed by or under this Act." > > >What would have been necessary is for the Council to meet and look at the >crisis and give necessary advice to the Secretary of State after >consultation with the people. > > > >A mature and democratically-minded leadership would not transfer the crisis >of the executive into the school system. School administrators have their >own problems which they could tackle not only by focusing on the students, >but on all aspects of school life. The scrutiny would cover even the >conduct >of school administrators themselves and their teachers. The problem of >discipline is an entirely different question which needs special >consideration. > > >How students should express grievances to policy makers is also an entirely >different issue. In a society led by democratically-minded leaders >demonstrations would not be seen as a crime since it is a constitutional >right. On the contrary, students would be free to organise peacefully to >express their concerns. > > >Let us take the incident of April 10 as an example. Let us say that the >country had mature and democratically-minded policy makers who would have >been ready to witness the demonstration of the students and even accept a >petition from them regarding their grievances. Such a person would have >been >able to read all the inscriptions on the banners and quickly digest what to >draw from them. > > >For example, such a person would have been able to explain the judicial >process regarding those who have allegedly murdered Ebrima Barry. He or she >would have been able to give an update on Binta Manneh's case. He or she >would have been able to address those who called for 'sopi' or change by >simply telling them that they are entitled to their opinions, but that in a >Sovereign Republic people have the option to bring about change by >supporting the party of their choice; that if they were interested in >change >they could go and support the party of their choice and appeal to the >electorate. This would have been the simple truth. A democratically-minded >leadership would not be offended by the expression of the true feeling of >any citizen. > > >We hope that as we move towards a new period the school system would not >entertain the type of agenda that could lead to a break down of confidence >between the students and their principals and headmasters/headmistresses. >The principals and headmasters/headmistresses must not be seen as mere >gendarmes of the regime within the school system. > > >What the school system needs are guides who would be able to reach out to >the inner beings of the students and impact on their lives so that they >would remember them not for expelling them from school, but for doing their >best to help them to overcome their weaknesses, build upon their strength >in >order to be fully prepared to be the architects of a new future of liberty, >dignity and prosperity for Africa. > > >Let us hope that all of you will become such leaders of our school system. >It is important for all of you to know that no principal or >headmaster/headmistress can be loved when one does nothing to improve the >lives of students. One could only be remembered for having contributed to >the destruction of the pillars of the future by submitting to the agenda of >a leadership which seems to be losing its head instead of using it to solve >national problems. > > >We hope that the executive will see the need to allow its policies to be >bound by the dictates of values that are reasonably justifiable in a >democratic society instead of making very simple issues very complex. > > > > > >....................................... >Halifa Sallah >For: The Editorial Board. > > > > > > >CC: UNICEF Resident Representative > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L >Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------