Speaking at the ceremony, Professor Muhammadou MO Kah said the academics were trained for a purpose and that is to help build the mathematical capacities of the youth and build their passion for the sciences.
He added: “We have all converged here this morning to witness an important ceremony marking yet another historical and groundbreaking achievement in the academic trajectory of this university, our University: The University of The Gambia (UTG). We are here to witness the completion of the very first cohort of academics who have just, completed and defended their masters theses in Mathematical Modelling, thanks to the expertise and unflinching commitment of our academic colleagues from the University of Gaston Berger, one of our most trusted educational partners in the sub-region. This now adds to the continuing and growing graduate programs at the UTG. This new master of science program is now added to the master’s degree program implemented and ongoing at the UTG, Master of Arts in African History, Master of Arts in French Language, Master of Science in Public and Environmental Health, Master of Science in Education and Sectoral Analysis and Master of Science in Climate Change and Education.”
Professor Kah further stated that the fact that the ceremony came days before celebration marking The Gambia’s 50-year independence anniversary bore testament to the strides made in higher education.
“A nation which did not have a university during the colonial era and almost 34 years post-independence, we have reason to celebrate and return gratitude to Allah and our chancellor and founder. For this country to shift her economy positively and optimse her productivity, efficiency and competitiveness, we must aggressively develop our youthful populations in large numbers in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics area. This must include increasing the number of qualified teachers and lecturers and researchers in the STEM area.
“Certainly, my immediate impulse is to find urgent interventions given the poor state of affairs in the STEM area. And we did just that! My colleagues at the UTG and I saw wisdom in taking mathematics as an entry point in our drive and intervention to curb the sciences and mathematics challenge the country continues to face. We believe, probably just the same way as you do, that a strong background in mathematics, the bedrock of all sciences, will help the learner develop a passion for the sciences.”
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