As the University of The Gambia graduates hundreds of students, one is tempted to be hopeful that this will impact positively on national development and that in a short time, we will see rapid changes which will usher in a bright future. University education is – should be – a propeller of self growth which translates into national growth.
However, it is unfortunate that in The Gambia, many of those who graduate from the university end up sitting for months – sometimes years – without finding employment. This may be due to the government’s lack of a proper plan to create employment opportunities for the youth, and/or the lack of relevance of what our education system offers.
The fact that we have a fully fledged university should have pulled us out of our quagmire a long time ago. It is saddening to note that since inception, the university has not impacted as much as it should have on the national strides of the country. Government has not fully utilized the academic treasure trove that we have at the University of the Gambia.
It has now become apparent that the education system should change in order to take into account our developmental needs. A proper education system (if we were to have one) will produce job creators rather than job seekers.
Besides, the government should take full advantage of the university and use it to conduct researches which will then go on to inform decision-making process in all circles of government. This will not only improve our education, but it will solve the problem of unemployment as well.
