By Adama Jallow
President Adama Barrow has confirmed that his government is aware of the educational sector’s hard work to address their capacity constraints and re-reposition themselves better to develop the required human capital for national advancement and prosperity, with the knowledge that TVET is a vital component in the process.
President Barrow made this acknowledgment last Saturday while officially laying the foundation stone for the construction of three faculty blocks for the Gambia University of Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (USET) in Brikama, West Coast Region.
He outlined that “we cannot begin such projects without public support, especially from good and well-meaning citizens. The Bojang Kunda family of Brikama has been at the forefront of providing adequate space to enable us to implement this project. We thank them for their kind and noble gesture,” he said.
He confirmed that “there is enough land here to establish the education hub that Government proposes for the area. I advise the residents of Brikama, therefore, to make good use of the job opportunities that will accompany the project and prepare their children for the proposed knowledge hub,” President Barrow mentioned.
He thanked the World Bank, through the Country Office, for their support and the Association of African Universities for their excellent partnership and Pan-Africanist stance.
He further applauded the Vice President, for pioneering the policy direction who always speaks about the proposals with passion, likewise the Minister of Higher Education and his technical team, at the Ministry and USET for implementing the project.
President Barrow also appealed for everyone’s continuous support and collaboration for the successful completion of the project and all other development initiatives in the country, while he urged parents to encourage their children, especially girls, to enrol in the University for Engineering and other STEM programs for immense contribution to the achievement of the country’s national development aspirations.
However, Barrow outlined that Government has planned to introduce a loan scheme next year to help a bigger number of youths acquire tertiary and higher education, irrespective of their social background, but for this to be realized, the President said they will continue to engage both local and international partners to implement more similar landmark projects and initiatives.
