33.2 C
City of Banjul
Thursday, March 28, 2024
spot_img
spot_img

Welcome remarks by Abdoulie M Touray, Chairman, West African International School at the 10th Graduation and Prize-Giving Ceremony. Friday 27 June 2014

- Advertisement -

We are   humbled by the trust, and confidence bestowed on us for allowing us to help in our own small way to the education of your most cherished and precious asset Your CHILD.

We at WAIS try to deliver excellence in all its manifestations in relation to our acronym meaning Wisdom, Attitude, Integrity and Service.

We are happy to report that most of those students who have passed through our gates from our inception continue to exhibit those virtues and try to be the best that you can be.

- Advertisement -

We are happy to report that the West African Educational Foundation the proprietors of WAIS has evolved over the last decade to become the first educational institution with the blessings and guidance of the Almighty Allah to have a full-fledged primary school that started operations in April 2014, a junior and senior secondary school called WAIS that has been in operation for almost 14 years, last year we introduced the WAEC syllabus to provide an option to the Cambridge IGCSE.  A university foundation / access college called West African International College that has been in operation for almost 6 years offering TOEFL and SAT tutorial classes as well as university placement and career counselling to students, an Edxecel British style Business, Information Technology leading to the Ordinary and Higher National Diploma Qualifications under the West African Chartered College. We recently established the SaHel IndoCorp Polytechnic to offer Technical Training in Vocational Education across several subject areas to assure food security and value chain development in order to accelerate industrialisation and local level and help in the establishment of cottage industries. In 2013 we also, with the support of government established Mahatma Gandhi University Africa with our partners from India to offer University Online and On Campus Education in over 120 Subject areas but with special focus on Business Administration and Information Technology at Diploma, Bachelors, Post Graduate Diploma and Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and Entrepreneurship.

We recently established a Weekend Mindset Academy program designed to help studies gather STEAM, in essence encouraging them to enhance their Academic Intellectual skills in Science, Technology, Entrepreneurship, Arts, and Mathematics, as well as their Physical Literacy Skills in Swimming, Tennis, Electronic Games, Athletics and Martial Arts. We encourage you to consider enrolling your children in this innovative programme by giving them STEAM to be SMARTER.

As a student under our Mindset Weekend Academy, registered students will become eligible members of our Reading Action Programme under the Lions Club International programme Read and Return Book Club as well as be exposed to our book series titled Read to Lead. They will also join our ToastMasters International Programme to assist them develop their public speaking abilities. 

- Advertisement -

In addition they can also enrol under our the Lions@Africa programme designed to nurture and develop an entrepreneurial mindset and thereby help you innovate and create wealth and thereby alleviate poverty.

We are honoured to have Mrs Elizabeth Yamindeh Renner, one of The Gambia’s most accomplished educationists par excellence as our guest speaker. She combines beauty and brains, style and substance, hence she is an icon and a trailblazer that we are all justifiably proud of. Thank you Madam Speaker for the honour as you sit with the other divas on the high table and in the audience.

Another highlight of our programme to complement the sterling efforts of our distinguished graduates would be to honour, recognise and celebrate the successes of three eminent personalities and their institutions for ‘Thinking Global and Acting Local’ and for establishing world class management systems and insights within their respective organisations, namely Dr Pa Macoumba Njie, managing director of Trust Bank Gambia Limited, Dr Momodou Lamin Gibba, managing director, Gambia Ports Authority and Mrs Fatou Sinyan Mergan, secretary general, Banjul Breweries. The master of ceremonies will read their citation as we all join them in the celebration of their excellence with the knowledge that success breeds success. We hope they will be a source of Inspiration to the graduating class of 2014.

Last week, the American Chamber of Commerce hosted an event as part and parcel of its programme of activities.  An integral part of that programme was also to celebrate the life and times of the dearly departed and legendary poet Maya Angelou and also to showcase and launch a book of poems by our very own Juka Fatou Jabang titled The Phoenix. The book of poems was masterfully reviewed by Mr Latirr Kah and Hassoum Ceesay. We had fantastic reading of poems by some very bright and upcoming young poets from various schools which buttresses the point The Gambia has talent which should be nurtured, celebrated and developed. I can’t help to recommend that you buy a copy of The Phoenix by Ajaratou Juka Fatou Jabang and read my favourite Africa’ Anguish and coincidentally to the graduates alway make sure that you read the Friday Essay in The Standard newspaper titled Red Black Nonsense and for those BBC generation, that is to say, those born before independence please read his last piece titled The Failed Generation and vindicate yourself as the exception.

Always remember the wise words of your parents and the nine words of wisdom for Maya Angelou: “Now that you know better, you will do better”. You are now high school graduates but as the late and revered Dr Saja Taal used to remind his students, “You never graduate from learning”.

In my own words, you came to this world to make an impact and to leave a legacy. What will be your LEGACY ? The answer my dear graduates is blowing in the wind. Always think positive, act positive and make a positive difference for humanity… Thank you for your patience, tolerance and goodwill.

]]>

Join The Conversation
- Advertisment -spot_img
- Advertisment -spot_img