By Zainab Sesay
A total of 239 students last week graduated from Masroor Senior Secondary School after completing their 3-year academic studies.
It marked the school’s seventh graduation ceremony since inception in 2005. A cross section of high-level dignitaries, parents and friends of the graduating students attended the colourful and award-giving event staged at the school’s grounds in Old Yundum, Kombo North.
In his opening remarks, Ebrima Bayo, principal of the school, said everybody knows the “standing” Masroor has in education in The Gambia.
He reminded dignitaries how as a new school, Masroor came fifth in one of the national exams of 2008.
“This is a real achievement for the school,” he stated.
He then urged his staff and students to continue the “good work” so that “we can continue to achieve and break records”.
TRRC lead counsel, Essa Faal was the guest of honour at the event. Speaking, he said every student whether in the university or kindergarten needs to learn to be discipline, punctual, respectful and hardworking. He told them these are the qualities that make role models in society.
Faal entreats the boys and girls to remember that education is perhaps the “most important and powerful ingredient” to a constructive, happy and successful life.
“Education is a part of ingredients that will keep you out of ignorance, and bring you to the realm of enlightenment,” the international lawyer said.
He explained that without education, one will not earn the right to ‘sit at the table’.
“In order to be relied on or looked upon by society, you must have education and it is not just to increase one’s knowledge but to create the possibility for a child to invent and discover and to create men who are capable of doing things,” he said.
“When boys and girls are educated and equipped with the right opportunity and skills, they equally have ability to tackle the world’s most pressing problems,” he added.
President of the ex-student’s association of the school, Malang Baldeh, disclosed how the former students “sacrificed their resources, time and energy” to give back to the school.
He used the platform to say that those ex-students “deserve to be recognised and commended for their hard work and perseverance” for the school.
He stated: “The previous graduations were usually organised and chaired by our senior teachers who always put in [a] lot of sacrifice and energy.
We, the ex-students body deemed it necessary to relieve them from such burden which prompted us to team together and stage this year’s graduation ceremony.”
He challenged the class of 2019 to join their association to “achieve great things” for the school as expected of them.
