By Olimatou Coker
Ebrima Kassama, the principal of Chissay Majaw Basic Cycle School, North Bank Region, has called on ChildFund and its development partners to extend the budget of its student cash transfer project to more students.
He made the call recently during an interview with journalists as part of the ChildFund’s annual media tour to its various projects and intervention areas to assess successes and impact on intended beneficiaries.
The student cash transfer is part of the Zero Out of School Children (ZOOSC) project funded by Educate A Child and jointly implemented by UNICEF – The Gambia, the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, ChildFund, and Efanet.
It is envisaged to reenroll over 66,000 school dropouts, including those with disabilities, and retain those who are at risk of dropping out. Principal Kassama said the increased intervention should focus on children in grades 1 to 3 to encourage more parents to send their children to school.
He said if the intervention works well, it can be extended to upper basic schools.
“There is a need to increase the budget for more students to benefit.”
He acknowledged that the cash transfer has already made a significant impact in keeping students in school, especially those from poor families.
“Over 50 students are currently benefiting from these cash transfers in my school, and it has really increased students’ educational performance and punctuality,” he added.
Kassama commended ChildFund and its implementing partners for introducing the project.
Bintou Panneh, a beneficiary, noted that the cash transfer is helpful in supporting underprivileged families to be able to provide for their school-going sons and daughters.
She said the project is even more helpful to single mothers.
Abdoulie Jallow, the head teacher at Kumbija LBS, Upper River Region, highlighted the significance of the cash transfer and its transformative impact on his school.
“Before the program, our enrollment stood at 255 students, but now we have about 354 enrollments. This increase is a direct result of our proactive efforts to promote the value of education, coupled with the ongoing cash transfers initiated by ChildFund and its partners,” he added.
