By Abdou Mbye
Information Officer, MoBSE
The Science and Technology Education Directorate (STED) under the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) with funding from ICESCO through UNESCO-NATCOM have concluded 6-day training for fifty teachers on Wednesday, 17 January 2023.
The training was held at the Gambia Senior Secondary School Computer Lab with the theme “Curriculum Enrichment and Pedagogical Skills for Teachers through the Integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in teaching and learning on a Digital Platform”.
The training was meant to promote technological advancement in the teaching and learning processes as well enhance distance learning and the digitalization of the teaching system to improve accessible and quality education in the country.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, the Director of Science and Technology Education Directorate (STED), Mr. Bakary Ceesay thanked the facilitators and partcipants for their utmost devotion and commtment during the training citing that it will have great impact on teachers delivery techniques.
“The education policy has preached for the digitalisation of the curriculum to make sure that the Gambia is in tune with other parts of the world. The world is moving towards technology and no nation can develop beyond the educational attainment of its citizens and if you want to profile a country look at the teachers.
“Investing on teachers means investing in the country because these are the people nuturing and moulding our future elders who are going to be responsible for our lives and livelihoods tomorrow,”Ceesay reiterated.
Dr. Babou Joof, the Principal Education Officer (PEO) at STED and the coordinator of the programme gave prominence to the training during his closing remarks stating that the training would diversely enhance technological progress in the process of digitalising the teaching and learning system.
He urged participants to use the opportunity to share the best skills with their fellow teachers to support them in ICT to facilitate distance learning approaches.
On behalf of the Secretary General NATCOM, Mr. Modou Touray stated that the training was premised on strengthening the capacity and resilience of the Gambia education system by promoting the use of ICT to improve teachers’ digital skills.
He, therefore, acknowledged the participants for the successful completion of the training and thanked ICESCO for the funding and the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education for the implementation with UNESCO NATCOM.
He advised participants to make good use of the training and urged them to constantly practice in order to remember and to diseminate the knowledge as well.
Mr. Abdoulie Njie, the Head of Department (HoD) for the Gambia Senior Secondary School computer lab, on behalf of the Principal thanked all the participants and expressed delight in hosting the unprecedented training meant to capacitate teachers on the most salient aspect in recent teaching and learning pedagogies.
Ms. Adel A Mendy on behalf of the participants expressed gratitude to MoBSE, UNESCO-NATCOM and ICSECO for organizing the training and assured willingness of exploring the skills and knowledge gained in their various schools.