By: Nyima Sillah
The University of the Gambia Students Union (UTGSU) demanded lasting solutions to the challenges that students undergo in their academic pursuits.
According to a statement shared with this medium, UTGSU stated that over the past weeks, they have witnessed distressing and unbearable hardships that students are undergoing in their daily academic pursuits.
“The inconveniences, principally on transportation, metamorphosed by inadequate water supply in various schools at Faraba in recent days, have apparently sparked discontentment, frustrations and agitations amongst students. On a daily basis, hundreds of students continue to miss lectures due to the inadequacy of buses to transport them to Faraba.
“Students stand for long hours in wait for buses only to be sped past by buses full to the brim. This undesirable condition which is highly unprecedented has been on for weeks now. As the Students’ Union, we understand this because we are no exception to the challenges,” the union stated.
The statement pointed out that the UTGSU has been engaging UTG Management, GTSC, and MOHESRT since the resumption of the semester to ensure the number of buses is increased to commensurate with the number of students traveling to Faraba.
“Today, when the challenge for transportation unbearably heightened, the UTGSU has been on its toes in constant engagement with the Honorable Minister and Permanent Secretary of MOHERST, the management of UTG, and GTSC. The Union has never been relenting in advocating for this cause.
“The Union has successfully committed MOHERST to adding six (6) buses on top of the available ones to address the transportation challenge. It is noteworthy that the Union has never and will never stand idle of students. This is why when the issue of water shortage over the past days was brought to its notice yesterday, it made significant efforts in engaging UTG Management and the problem was solved today,” it stated.
The Union called for the understanding of the student body and urged everyone to remain calm while they continue to engage the stakeholders in providing a lasting solution.
