By Amadou Jadama
The Principal Education Officer for Region Two, Lamin FM Jaiteh has revealed that access to basic education is a key priority of the Ministry of Basic and the Secondary Education.
He made these remarks over the weekend during the inauguration of D1,450,000 four-classroom block and one office in Bafuloto village in the West Coast Region.
The school was built by Ballal Charitable Organisation in partnership with Together Africa Gambia Organisation, and it was funded by Stichting Bouwen Foundation Holland.
In his inaugural speech, Mr Jaiteh who spoke on behalf of the Regional Education Directorate, said the classroom block will provide access to basic education for the children of Bafuloto and satellite communities.
He stressed that one of their priority areas is that children attending lower basic schools should not walk more than two kilometres to another community to attend class, adding that Ballal Charitable Ogranisation has come at the right time to provide Bafuloto community with the education facility.
“Provision of access to basic education is a key priority area of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education. It enhances our drive to achieve our objective of quality education. Investment and provision of educational facilities to the attainment of quality education empowers the citizenry and ultimately reduce poverty in the society,“ Jaiteh said.
He called on the people of Bafuloto to enrol their children and advised them to take proper care of the school, and also to establish a vibrant and well committed management committee to work with their sponsors to improve teaching and learning in the school.
Lamin Jammeh, the president of Together Africa Gambia Organisation, explained that his organisation in partnership with Ballal Charitable came together to empower the development agenda of the government.
Mr Jammeh disclosed that the school was not built based on politics, but based on development. “The school belongs to the people of Bafuloto and its satellite communities to prevent their children trekking long distances to acquire basic education.”
Samba Baldeh, the Chief Executive Officer of Ballal, disclosed: “We have been doing lot of projects such as the community boreholes, mosques, schools and giving out Qur’anic teachers to the communities to help them learn their religion.”
Mustapha Saidy, the alkalo of Bafuloto, expressed delight over the occasion and used the opportunity to thank the donors for the support.
