By Kebba Ansu Manneh
The Education Student Association (EDUSA) of University of The Gambia (UTG) are on nationwide tour in a bid to engage Gambian students on the importance of Career Choice Development as well as talks with teachers on the significance of Teacher Commitment and discipline in schools.
Recently, Yankuba Manneh, President of EDUSA said the nationwide tour is meant to reach out to schools in the hinterland with a view of engaging twenty (20) schools on Career Choice Development.
He said that the rural student’s opportunities that will prepare them better to choose their career at high school.
“Career Choice Development is something missing in our education curriculum and this is having an adverse effect on the future of the Gambian students and we feel it incumbent upon us to reach out to schools in the hinterland so that they can better be prepared to choose the best career they will pursue in the future,” Manneh pointed out.
He disclosed that this is the second times EDUSA is embarking on nationwide tour and last year the organistion visited 20 schools off the road, while this year the essence is to inspire and guide these rural students to making a good career choice before leaving school.
According to him many student have no idea about what career to choice especially students from the rural part of the county and this is reason his organization is going all out to reach them and sensitize them on choosing a good career.
He added that the team will engage the teachers on the significance of Teacher commitment and the need to rein store discipline in school.
He further revealed that EDUSA conducted a research at the University of The Gambia to ascertain how many students actually choose a career before finishing school, noting the outcome was80% of the student did not choose any career before finishing school.
“The results we gather from the UTG required EDUSA to reach out to Gambian students in a bit to exposing them to career choice development, so that students can be able to choose which career to follow after finishing their secondary school.
Many Gambian students choose wrong fields while in school but usually before they realize that the career they chooses for themselves is the wrong one it’s too late,” Manneh told this reporter.
Buba Sama, former president of EDUSA said tour is part of activities that has been formulated by his former executive, revealing that Career Choice Development sessions are something that virtually missing in the curriculum and the need to reach out to rural student is important.
“We have been confronting with situations that leads to the failure of many Gambians because of choosing a wrong career and this we intent to arrests through engaging students and teachers so that students can make the right career choice that will go a long way in laying a strong foundation for choosing the right career path,” Sama revealed.
He noted that EDUSA’s last year engagement was successful considering the feedbacks obtained from the schools visited, adding that such a success story is what motivated the current executive to continue the reach out.
“This package we (EDUSA) are rolling is not only going to end in the rural communities but as well in the Greater Banjul Area. We have the quiz and debating competitions in our agenda that we feel will be more befitting for the urban students because the needs of the rural students is different from that of their urban compatriots,” he pointed out.
He also said that teacher commitment is something that needs to be strengthen in the country, noting that this is reasons the ministry is supporting the organisation to engage teachers on this important issue even though it not an easy to dealt with.
He added that they are optimistic that the teachers will understand and accept the team as family hence they all have the same intention for the progress of The Gambian students.
Alhagie Barrow also an executive member of Education Student Association of University of The Gambia, said that the organization will engage the teachers professionally to reinvigorate their thoughts on the need for commitment, noting that if teachers are not committed failures for students will follow suit and in the long run it will have a negative impact on overall education system.
Barrow a victim of choosing a wrong career path added that engaging both students and teachers on these thematic areas of career choice, teacher commitment and discipline will go a long way in addressing the problems affecting the lives of many school leavers.
Officials of EDUSA commended the ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Teachers Union among other philanthropists for bankrolling the countrywide with the purpose of making life better for Gambians.