By: Kebba AF Touray
The Gambian Lawmakers on Tuesday 25 June 2024, approved motions, tabled before them by the Minister for Higher Education, Pierre Gomez at the Legislative House in Banjul.
The motions tabled by Minister Gomez were the motions for the establishment of the University of Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology, the Transformation of the Management Development Institute into a Civil Service University, and the Transformation of the Gambia College into the University of Edinburgh under the Tertiary and Higher Education Act 2016.
Minister Gomez, while presenting the motion on the establishment of the University of Applied Sciences, told lawmakers that the transformation has been designed to maintain the original technical programs offered by the defunct Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI).
“Added to this is the degree program in three engineering areas sponsored by the World Bank as part of Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence”, he said.
On the transformation of the Management Development Institute into a Civil Service University, he explained,“The critical element of MDI transformation is to ensure that civil service is professionalized and that every cadre of our civil service can only be accessed after the requisite professional training at a specific level to acquire the right competencies”.
On the transformation of the Gambia College into the University of Edinburg, Minister Gomez said that as part of their new policy drive, merging the schools of education at the Gambia College and UTG into the University of Education, the Gambia marks significant milestone in their education sector.
The Policy, he said, is a crucial tool towards the Gambia’s higher education reform agenda, ensuring the provision of quality and relevant teacher training, school management and planning programs.
The said motions tabled before the lawmakers by Minister Pierre Gomez, were subsequently adopted by the country’s lawmakers. They noted that the motions came at a time the government is making efforts to reform the education sector, to ensure relevant and quality education for the citizenry.
