By Binta Fatty
The Management of the University of The Gambia disclosed that the Administration will spend 16 million dalasi to support research conducted by UTG lecturers.
According to an email from the university’s public relations office, the administration will give a maximum of D200,000 for each research proposal from a lecturer, and the first disbursement of funds will begin on or before the 15th of December, 2020.
In an exclusive interview with this medium, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of The Gambia, Professor Pierre Gomez asserted that research is what differentiates a high school from a university. “But research cannot be done without money, research is expensive…” Gomez highlighted. He however, confirmed that this is just the beginning of the initiative. “Because the trajectory must change,” Gomez added. He advised lecturers who are going to benefit from the initiative to ensure that they use the funds for the project. “there will be accountability,” he added.
Dr Mustapha Jobarteh, a senior lecturer at the school of business, who has already submitted his research proposal for consideration, said the initiative is timely. “Research culture has not been nurtured in the university for so long, but now that we have a whole directorate for research, it is a signal that the management is serious about it.”
Ebrima Nasso, an information system major at the UTG, welcomed the initiative. “In any university, research is the lifeblood. So, without research, the quality of that university will be questioned.”
