By Maimuna Fatty
Kairaba Junior and Senior Secondary School has recently graduated its 19th batch.
The school’s name “Kairaba”, a Mandinka word meaning “peace in abundance”, is built with a clear vision to give opportunity to every Gambian child especially the underprivileged to realise their educational dreams.
Former GRTS reporter and now employee of the United States Embassy, Fatoumatta Ceesay inspired the graduates as the Guest Speaker.
The school principal Ms Mama Gloria Aghedo congratulated the graduates and encouraged them to remain committed in their studies.
Giving a background of the school, Ms Aghedo said Kairaba was established by a selfless educationist, the late Alhagie Ousman Alieu Ndow in 2003. She said the school was initially stationed at Sheikh Mass Kah Arabic section’s campus before it was later relocated to Pipeline and finally to its present Kanifing campus in 2007.
“The school started with one block of four classrooms but today we have fifteen classrooms – a sizeable staffroom, three offices, one for the principal which is well equipped and another for the Vice Principal that accommodates the records office and Admin Secretary and lastly a finance office,” she said.
She said the school also has a store for textbooks and other learning materials, a hall for general assembly, five extra rooms upstairs for five laboratories hosting the chemistry, biology, physics, home economics and a research centre of Information Technology.
“We also have a library that needs to be more equipped when a librarian will be available to secure the reading materials. I am happy to announce to all stakeholders that every classroom in this school is fitted with a whiteboard which is much healthier for both students and teachers than a blackboard. We also have a small conference room where Board, SMT and SMC meetings are held termly to plan ahead,” she added.
The principal said Kairaba has attained great achievements in the area of academic progress over the years and the management is committed to ensure that they reach the target of being one of the best schools in the country.
“The school has won trophies at debate competitions, awards at parliamentary debates where the school once emerged second and in sports the male football team were quarterfinalist last year and three of the players were selected to play in divisional football leagues,” she added.
She said academically, students’ performances have improved and quite a number of students gained admission into the Gambia College, the University of The Gambia and other tertiary institutions both at home and abroad.
Kairaba was established after the fall of Banjul Academy, a private school in Banjul. It was close after serious administrative issues after students were unable to receive their WASSCE results from WAEC. The students revolted against the proprietor of the school (Banjul Academy) which led former minister of education Ms Ann Therese Ndong Jatta ordering for its closure.
