The Day of the African Child is celebrated every year on June 16th with a theme identified by the Committee based on children’s views collected from various consultations with children themselves.
In 1991, the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the OAU in memory of the June 16th, 1976 student uprising in Soweto, South Africa when students marched onto the street,protesting the poor-quality education they received and demanded to be taught in their native languages.
Hundreds of school children were massacred despite the brave action they took to defend their rights.
Remembering the day in honour of the slain students, one of the international partners, ActionAid The Gambia recently commemorated the day in a grand style. The commemorative events included a competition between over a dozen schools within the Niamina districts at a colourful ceremony held at Kudang Lower Basic School.
This year’s commemoration was themed Education for All Children in Africa: The Time is Now.
The ActionAid Regional Manager, Saiba T. Susso, said his office has committed over four million Dalasi to the renovation and construction of schools in the region and other educational materials, a commitment meant to support education.
Principal Education Officer, Mod Talla Ceesay, encouraged students to focus on their education while commending ActionAid for its strong commitment to complementing the government’s efforts in education.
The commemorative events included a marathon race, poetry and spelling competition.
