By Adama Makasuba
Momodou Sabally, former secretary-general and Head of Civil Servants, has denounced the Ministry of Higher Education plan to introduce a tertiary education loan scheme next year for some of the country’s needy and bright students.
However, Higher Education Minister Prof. Pierre Gomez said the loan scheme seeks to ensure that “we support the maximum number of people,” adding that “there will be a system in place where the State will come to their aid for them to have their training. When they finish, there will be a grace period, but they will have to pay the state back [its money] after they secure jobs.”
However, Sabally reacted that “the scholarship for students was too much during the Jammeh government but this government came and stopped all those scholarships. And now you say, you want to give loans to the students to further their education and we all know this government is not doing anything to create jobs for the university graduates. What loan are you giving them? Give them scholarships and create jobs for them rather than given them loans.”
Meanwhile, he added: “What pains me more is that, the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education has said that this year’s results are better than the previous year, I say that is not true. And they again said the education of the children was affected by the coronavirus, I say that is also not true. The MoBSE should accept that their system of education is not good and it is poor.”
“The whole country should come together and hold a national conference on education and see how we can address the education problem which is more serious than aid and cancer. The MoBSE, I said this when President Barrow selected his cabinet, I said that the person in the Ministry of Education is the most inefficient and ineffective and you have basic and secondary education and higher education.
“Who was at the Ministry of Higher Education is Vice President Alieu Badara Joof, then this problem is Badara Joof and Claudiana Ayo Cole’s problem. They are destroying the educational future of our children. These two people are one destroying the education system of the country,” he claimed.