Teachers play a crucial role in the formation of the personality of their pupils and students. Studying and learning should be foremost in all institutions of education; everything else should be secondary. Education is a rigorous process that requires time and an environment that facilitate its pursuit. The glory that comes with extra-curricular activities is commendable, however they should never be a cause of deviation from the main aims of the school’s purpose, mission and vision.
Many times we find schools indulging their students in activities that will in the long run hamper their academic performance. A case in point are athletes. Many of them are so occupied with training for competitions that they have little time for the classroom, resulting in poor performances and failure of exams. This is one reason the school administrations should try by all means that there is no imbalance between play and work.
Students must know that their main preoccupation is going to school. It must be the most important thing on the menu of their activities. Students must brace up and regard all other events and engagements secondary. The environment they find themselves in should be able to support that kind of mindset; that’s why it becomes important to create for the young ones that space wherein they can prioritise for the best.
With technological gadgets everywhere, it becomes increasingly difficult for students to even concentrate on their studies. These distractions usually become habits leading to failures of exams. The government and the private sector should help by granting more bursaries.
The majority of students in The Gambia are from economically-challenged families, where parents have to choose between putting food on the table and sending their children to school. The free education for girls initiated by the government has been a very good one, but it is still short of attaining its goal and should be raised to the standards wherein the masses of girls can stay in school. Many students have dropped out of school because of problems relating to payments of school fees and procuring other relevant materials for studies.
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