Speaking on the sidelines of The Gambia Teachers Union national women’s delegates forum on the theme ‘Quality Education, Better Education for a Better World’, she assessed: “The Ministry of Education has embarked on serious legislative reforms combined with higher investments in a bid to ensuring education for all, with especially good results for girls. The Gambia has worked directly to address gender disparity in education; particularly in poor rural communities. Education is a component of well being and a means to enable the individual gain access to knowledge. It also helps reduce fertility, morbidity and mortality rates, empower women, improve the quality of working population and promote genuine democracy.
“It is a fact that an increase in the education of women and girls contributes to women empowerment, reduce early marriages and family sizes. There is no doubt that when mothers are better educated, their children’s survival rate tends to increase and their families are healthier. The gains are real; we must not rest on our side. In our bid to attain our Education for All (EFA )and MDGs as a nation ,a rigorous recruitment of qualified teachers is a very crucial in providing quality education. More measures must be instituted to retain those recruited. Recruitment and retention are facets that must complement each other as a way forward and since government cannot do it all alone, your contribution as a recognised body is and will be crucial. Through the GTU Credit Union, the women’s wing and the Men’s Union; we have seen tremendous efforts in your quest to improving teacher’s image and prestige through respect and recognition for their status and selfless contribution to national development”
The regional director for Education, Region 6, Claudia Cole, said the principal aim of the forum is to provide quality education in a system that is changing. She enunciated: “We want to build a system that projects female teachers as role models influencing young minds especially female students. We want to build a system that promotes better education for a better world. You need to know your mandate and terms of reference as teachers. You need to know your responsibilities and the roles you are expected to perform. You need to have a high sense of purpose. Remember in this age of technology and mass communication your students are discovering knowledge you are not giving them. Therefore as education facilitators you will only be in a position to provide a better education with training”.
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