By Abdou Mbye, Information Officer
In a bid to boost education service delivery, the ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) through government funding will provide textbooks to schools across the country this year.
Delivered by the Gambia Public Printing Corporation (GPPC) at a ceremony held at its complex in Kanifing on Saturday, 21 September, the textbooks are to be distributed to every senior secondary student nationwide, encompassing all subjects. The books, authored by Gambian writers, are piloted through the ministry’s collaboration with the Gambia Writers Association. These textbooks carry contents that commensurate with the Gambian context, depicting the country’s social, political, educational, and economic set up and its realities.
The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry for Basic and Secondary expressed profound gratitude to the GPPC Management and the Gambia Writers Association for the timely completion of the project.
Louis Moses Mendy said the ministry is ready to distribute the books to all schools, reiterating its commitment to providing quality education service delivery.
“The contents of the books are good. I commend the writers for the job well done and encourage them to be united as writing is challenging,” PS Mendy acknowledged.
The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Information said this initiative has given the writers association the opportunity to showcase their talent and capacity in producing books of quality content.
“The review process has indicated that the content is of quality and that would really help our students to get the prerequisite knowledge needed for them to succeed in life,” PS Amie Njie elucidated.
PS Njie expressed that producing the books in the country will help balance and minimise the cost spent on foreign supply. She added that with support for more resources, the GPPC might not only have the capacity of publishing books but also printing national documents as well.
The Managing Director (MD) of GPPC, Mr Momodou Ceesay expressed gratitude to the government, MoBSE, Ministry of Information and the writers association for collaborating to fulfil this successful commitment.
“One of the core mandates of this institution is to print, publish and distribute books to schools in the Gambia. We want to ensure that we will live up to those challenges by improving the capacity of our delivery,” MD Ceesay posited.
Speaking on behalf of his fellow Directors, the Director of Regional Education Directorate one, Mr Bakary Ceesay thanked the government and the ministry for providing the textbooks to schools, saying when “we prioritise national interest, it makes us do the right thing”. He added that producing the books in the Gambia is great and will avail them the opportunity to easily demand for more supply when the need arises.
Mr Kanuteh, the President of Gambia Writers Association expressed appreciation for being part of the groundbreaking event, saying that it is a history in the making. He noted that this initiative is part of the government’s fulfillment of its social responsibility.
“This is an unprecedented initiative by the government to supply books to the length and breadth of the country, whereby all students irrespective of your location will have access to books hundred percent,” Mr Kanuteh highlighted.
Mr kanuteh expressed gratitude to Mobse and GPPC for the support and collaboration throughout the process.
