OJ, as the veteran politician is called in short, was an influential minister in the former government, which is often criticised ‘for pursuing of policy of keeping Gambians ignorant’ as it provided a limited number of education facilities and infrastructure in its 30-year rule.
However, in an interview with The Standard, he said: “You know what people do not understand is that it was the PPP government’s education policy that the APRC was implementing until 2004. Ann Therese Ndong Jatta once said this at the Brikama College when she was an education minister. All the schools were built as a result of that policy. That is why after 2004, that rapid building of schools around the country stopped.
“Ann Therese Ndong Jatta said that the education system, despite its fast growth, has lost relevance and quality under the APRC. We don’t want quantity education. What we want is quality. Now, go round and ask high school students to write you a letter. This is a shame! Go to Upper River Region and find out how many schools are there with only one third of the teachers present there.
“Building schools, like hospitals, is not about the structure but the utility – the quality of the services they offer. The types of teachers you have in these schools and their qualifications, as well as the teaching materials available are a relevant factor in quality education.”
]]>
