By Abdou Mbye
The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MOBSE) has convened a day-long pre-summit consultative meeting with stakeholders in the education sector in preparation of the UN Transformative Education Summit 2022, to be hosted by The Gambia.
Held on June 21st at the Paradise Suites Hotel in Kololi, the synergy brought together a broad spectrum of receivers, providers and beneficiaries of education to reflect on challenges of education with a view to formulate sustainable strategies to transform education both in delivery and quality, especially in the context of the technological era.
In her opening remarks, the Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, Hon. Claudiana A. Cole described the gathering as one of the most significant convergences “because education serves as the bedrock of all human developments”. She therefore called for proactive engagement in the alignment of Gambia’s current educational realties and socio-economic development aspiration with the global education standards.
“Education over the years has been faced with numerous challenges particularly for low-income countries like The Gambia. The advent of COVID-19 and the lack of effective measures for learning recoveries risk a turning-point and very precarious for the educational development of our respective countries”.
However, the minister noted that it provided an impetus for the global education community to reimagine and recalibrate appropriate measures and strategies during emergencies, natural and man-made crisis to protect education.
Speaking to reporters, the Permanent Secretry at MOBSE, Mr Louise Moses Mendy called for the domestication of educational priorities and transformative agenda to respond to the global call through curriculum review, civic education, religious studies among others, which resonate to inclusive and responsive educational drive.
The Deputy Permanent Secretary (DPS Programmes), Mr Adama Jimba Jobe, explained that the gathering emanated from the call made by the UN Secretary General regarding the problems of education following the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and what can be done to address those challenges.
The UNICEF Country Representative in The Gambia, H.E. Gordon Jonathan Lewis stated that the UN Secretary General is extremely concerned that SDG 4 on education is simply not going to be met because countries are lagging behind; hence the common agenda and call to prioritise transforming education in our countries.