There is little or no doubt that what is needed for the progress of the country is the acquisition of skills and expertise through the promotion of Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes. This is now a prerequisite for development.
For some time now, the government and people of The Gambia have come to this realisation and are doing very well in the area. Many skills training centres have been established and many young people enrolled for proper training. This is important as the more young people acquire skills the better.
Recently, reports have indicated that the Honourable Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology was on a working visit in Nigeria where he discussed the issues of TVET leading to some commitments from the Nigerian government and Ecowas.
This is very good indeed as it will go a long way in expediting the number of young people who have skills. When the number of young people with skills and expertise increases till it reaches what is referred to as the critical mass the country will begin to see improvements in the economy, employment figures and many other areas.
That is why it is commendable that the minister is working very hard to make the acquisition of skills training and expertise available to the general public. In addition to that, President Adama Barrow recently announced millions of dalasis as funds for sponsoring students who wish to learn skills. It is hoped that the trend will continue so that in a few years’ time the Gambian youth themselves will do whatever it takes to not only acquire skills but pass it on to someone else.
