By Awa Macalo
The University of The Gambia in its 14th Convocation Ceremony on Saturday has graduated 1134 students from the ten schools within the University.
Among the graduates, twenty-eight students have successfully completed the four years course of journalism. These young journalists are ready to set the atmosphere of excellent execution of their knowledge and skill in order to be the voice of the voiceless in the country.
Forty-five people obtained a postgraduate degree from the school of postgraduate studies and research.
The vice-chancellor of UTG, Professor Herbert Robinson, wished graduates greater achievements in the years to come and as they become proud UTG alumni, “not to relent in promoting the cause of UTG in the years to come. Be assured that we will be glad to continue to partner with everyone of you, and to support your steady progress in career development.”
Professor Robinson said that during his two months as vice-chancellor, he went on a familiarisation tour of campus schools to assess learning facilities, the administrative environment, the university’s structures, and internal systems, and to get a good sense of the current situation, challenges, and opportunities students are faced with.
He said his vision is to transform UTG into an outstanding tertiary institution.
“The UTG has evolved from inspiration to impact, and today we are redoubling our efforts with a view to securing the long-term sustainability of the University and to leapfrog into the digital
future.
Universities all over the world focus on three major objectives – to educate students, to produce knowledge and to apply the knowledge produced to inform teaching and to facilitate development through socio-economic and environmental transformation, working with various stakeholders such as Government, private sector, and development partners.
It is therefore important to realign the core objectives of the University of The Gambia to put more emphasis on: supporting teaching and learning, supporting research – to inform teaching and enhance the learning experience of students,” he said.
He added that applying research through knowledge transfer and innovation is an important part of development since it entails formulating policies based on research to meet societal needs in sectors like health, education, and agriculture. Policy development must be contextualized and based on current evidence of what works.
The president of the Republic of The Gambia Adama Barrow who is also the chancellor, in his remarks, congratulated the graduates on their great achievements as an academic pride of the country.
“Experience clearly shows that formal education plays an important role in nation-building, manifestly by facilitating access to knowledge and skills, irrespective of socio-economic background and personal circumstances. Institutions of higher education, in particular, contribute most significantly to character building, besides producing the trained and educated bulk of a country’s workforce.”
He further said that education must be at the centre of attempts to moderate behavior, modify attitudes, and contribute positively to national growth and peaceful cohabitation, among other things. “It is imperative that we value and sustain the noble tenets of good governance, democracy and the rule of law. All these make it necessary to recognise education as a basis for national development,” he said.
