By Nelson Manneh
Anthoman Jagne, outgoing president of the Gambia College Student’s Union (GCSU) said leaders should be prepared to hand over power at the right time, whenever the need arises.
The outgoing president of GCSU made this statement on Friday January 10th 2020 at the handing over ceremony of the GCSU Executive.
The Gambia College is one of the oldest training institutions in the Gambia that comprises four different Schools. These are the School of Education, Public Health, Agriculture and Nursing. Every year, students from all the Schools come together to elect a new Executive for the Union which looks at the affairs of the students and serve as mediator between the students and the College administration.
“There is no success without a loss in this strange world. In order to achieve something, one has to lose many things. Some lose their lives, some lose their health and some lose their wealth,” he said.
The outgoing president said in his life, he realized that the world does not owe anyone a favor; that it is through one’s hard work that one can achieve something in life; that the harder one works, the luckier one becomes.
“Sometimes luck does not depend on the work, but on will power. But this should not stop anybody to strive hard for his or her life,” he said.
Mr. Jagne said in life, everything eventually must come to an end and everybody must be fully prepared to see the end in anything that one does.
“We as an outgoing Executive have achieved what some would just dream of. We have structured and laid a foundation for the Gambia College Students’ Union to be a force to reckon with like other elite Unions in the sub-region,” he said.
Jagne said they have witnessed a proposed increment of tuition fees, but the Union stood and fought tooth and nail to see it peg back to the initial fee of D7, 000.
“We proposed a Union complex worth D5 million and we were able to meet partners who promised to incur the costs of the entire structure,” he said; that during their tenure in office, they received pledges from a philanthropist who wishes to renovate the entire Banjul dormitories; that follow up on this is ongoing and the sponsor verbalizes that once he comes back to The Gambia, he will venture into the project.
Jagne said despite the achievements, they have faced challenges that the new Executive may likely face in office; that among them includes the participation of students’ in some activities and lack of information from the College administration.
“The nature of the College programs makes it almost impossible to organize an event that will suit the entire sister Schools of the College and the Classes,” he noted. He recommended for the incoming Executive to strengthen existing MOUs, work to build more partnership and maintain the smooth working relationship with the College administration.
Sirreh Sidibeh, the incoming president said she will continue to defend the Constitution of the GCSU and promote the welfare of the students in the entire sister Schools within the College.
“To whom much is given, much is expected. The general student body has entrusted power on me and I will make sure that their welfare is prioritized,” she concludes.
