By Olimatou Coker
The ministry of higher education, in collaboration with the Council of Higher Education Turkey (YoK), Monday held a technical committee meeting to discuss means of boosting Tvet education in The Gambia.
Held at Coco Ocean Resort, the meeting focused on the recommendations made during a ministerial visit to Turkey led by Professor Pierre Gomez to strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries. During the meeting in Turkey, the two sides agreed to establish a technical committee for the implementation of the agreements, which included scholarships and other partnerships.
The Banjul meeting marked the opening of technical meetings on development, planning, and implementation arrangements between the two governments on human capital formation.
HE Tolga Bermek, the ambassador of Turkey in The Gambia, said vocational training is an important and crucial strategic area that can have a direct impact on the economy.
Prof. Dr Naci Gundogan, a YoK executive board member, outlined their expectations of their three-day visit and took the gathering through the educational system of Turkey.
He said the two countries have the necessary legal basis to further their cooperation.
“We signed a memorandum of understanding with the Gambia Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science, and Technology in 2016 to organise academic and scientific exchanges between our higher education institutions, and both parties subsequently signed the implementation protocol of the MoU in 2018 to place Gambian students in Turkish public high institutions through high education council scholarships,” he said.
He added that Turkey now ranks first among the European higher education countries in terms of the number of students in their higher education system and the increase in the number of students over the years.
Prof Pierre Gomez, the minister of higher education, said it was conceived during his delegation’s visit to Turkey that they establish a technical committee that will identify critical areas of intervention and develop a plan of action to implement targeted areas.
“This is coming when Gambia urgently needs support to improve the quality of teaching and learning, especially in Tvet, to enhance the promotion and institutionalisation of research innovation and development activities,” he said.
He said over the years, The Gambia government has immensely benefited from numerous scholarships and technical support provided under the bilateral cooperation.
“My ministry is currently pursuing the revitalisation strategy and strategic implementation level through regional decentralisation. “This will bring in new scientists and a few identified sectors of excellence in Tvet as well as centres that will focus on specific disciplines, which if successfully implemented will address poverty among the country’s youthful population,” he noted.
