By Olimatou Coker
As part of its “bridge to success” project, promoting science education in the rural Gambia, the Rotary Club of Brusubi, Serekunda and Edmonds, in collaboration with MRC Holland Foundation and the local communities, over the weekend inaugurated scientific labs worth over $69,000 at Kaur Senior Secondary School(SSS) and the Gambia College Basse campus.
The group also presented additional equipment such as safety goggles, gulfs, laptops, eye wash stations, first aid kits, fire extinguishers and hand wash soaps to both Kaur SSS and Basse college, for their laboratories.
Maggie Peterson, a past president of the Rotary Club of Edmonds, said they proudly dedicate the labs with all needed equipment to the people living in around that area.
“We supplied the lab equipment, one year internet connection, computers, projector and safety gears and envisioned that many of you working across the stage, will go out into the world and making amazing discoveries to build on the work of those who came before you”, Maggie told the Science students.
Highlighting the need for taking such a project in the rural Gambia, Lamin PF Manneh, also a past president of Rotary club of Edmonds, now based in the USA said the project is designed to help end rural urban migration and prevent the youth in those regions, from irregular migration to Europe.
“No country can develop without science and technology.
Hopefully Kaur, known for its record number of intellectuals in The Gambia, will add more doctors, engineers, veterinarians, nurses, and architects”, he noted.
Isatou Bojang, a Science student of Kaur SSS, expressed gratitude and excitement to the donors for the first science laboratories in CRR.
“The labs have been a pull factor to many students in our region and it has drastically reduced the number of students going to the Kombos to study science ,” she explained.
Addressing the students in Basse college, Hennette Sonko, a Rotarian and the country coordinator of MRC Holland Foundation said those in urban Gambia refer to Basse as far-away with a belief that there are no opportunities in rural Gambia.
“But we are going to make more opportunities here. You are all ordinary people who are here to do extraordinary things and there is nothing that can stop us from making this area even better than Banjul” Sonko preached the students.
Wuday Gaye, a first-year student at the Basse campus said she and her mates are the luckiest as their predecessors were not lucky to do experiments and practice what they learn in class. “We are very happy and grateful for being fortunate to have the labs”, she explained.
