By: Kemo Kanyi
More than 500 graduates of the Gambia College School of Education have yet to be absorbed into the education sector.
They face the prospect of not being employed by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) as their enrolment hinges on a “need basis” if what the basic and secondary education minister said is anything to go by.
They are now sitting at home despite completing their courses five or so months ago.
Graduates of the Gambia College School of Education, Agriculture, Public Health, and Nursing hitherto were automatically absorbed into the civil service but now, it’s only the ‘in-service’ teachers and students sent by MoBSE to further their education, who have their pay-grades improved after graduation and are reintegrated into the system, while the private students will be asked to apply for employment if the need arises.
“The higher education graduates sent by MoBSE will have a chance to get employment at the Ministry. Just to say that employment at the ministry is on a need basis, and it is for those students or teachers that we sent to college because we have spaces to accommodate them once they complete their training. But if you are a private students,who graduated from Gambia College, it is not automatic that you get employed by the Ministry if the need isn’t there,” Dr. Habibatou Drammeh, minister for MoBSE, clarified on Coffee Time with Peter Gomez on Tuesday.
She added that her Ministry works with the college and anytime a need for teachers to be trained arises, they send teachers for training and therefore take responsibility of those teachers, adding that MoBSE is working on some promotions and when they are done with that some graduates, including the private students, who go through the college training program for higher education, may have chance to get employment at the Ministry.
“We will do our best to create opportunities for the young people. But as it is now, it will be on a need basis. We wantthe ministry to be performance-driven, and even those we sponsor will be subjected to some rigorous assessment to ensure their enrolment into the system,” she added.
