By Abdou Mbye
The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) has recently conducted a 5-Day Coordinating Committee Meeting (CCM) at the Regional Education Directorate Two (RED 2), in Brikama.
The assembly brought together senior officials of the ministry and stakeholders to discuss the numerous successes and challenges of education in the country and to devise positive ways and means of mitigating them.
The CCM is an important tool meant to monitor, evaluate, and assessed the operational paradigm of the sector as well as give guidance and support to school managers to function effectively by disbursing quality and relevant education to the needs and aspirations of the people.
In her opening remark, the Minister for Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE), Hon Claudiana A. Cole dilated on the need for CCM to be continued as it is a forum where everything affecting the sector is brought to light and strategic steps taken to address the issues confronting the sector.
“CCM has been hailed as a very important way of monitoring the education system in this country not only by MoBSE but everybody out there because people have been talking about its importance but unfortunately, it was interrupted by the advent of Covid-19. I am very pleased that after three years we are here again to evaluate what we were able to do and map out a way forward in providing quality education for every Gambian child,” Minister Cole expressed.
The Permanent Secretary (PS) for MoBSE, Mr. Ebrima Sisawo highlighted that CCM not only promotes accountability for the sector but is also one the most important tool to strengthen monitoring in the whole system because everybody is held accountable for everything.
“It is a very important forum and mechanism to ensure improved performance in every aspect of the sector and that is why as management we do not hesitate to bring it back with much urgency. We will be visiting schools to know what is happening and the good thing is that every school in region two will try to add value to the work they are doing expecting that they would be visited. We have achieved in getting students into schools but our new challenge is how do we ensure that our system is functional so that quality education is delivered,” PS Sisawo remarked.
The Governor of the West Coast Region, Mr. Ousman Bojang expressed delight in hosting the first CCM after Covid-19 in his region citing it as a good monitoring tool to gather the right information and data collection and to take necessary actions to make sure that the education delivered would have a positive impact on every Gambian especially the less privileged.
“The president had always emphasized the need for education for all and the government is doing so much to develop teachers and provide educational infrastructure with the right materials,” he said.
Mr. Lamin Fatajo, the Regional Education Director of Region Two cited the forum as a worthwhile venture in shaping the education sector for better and quality learning outcome delivery and expressed gratitude to the management for the support in hosting the program.
