By Assan Bah
The Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (TANGO) has donated a total of 2,070 sets of books to three major educational institutions in The Gambia—914 to the University of The Gambia (UTG), 503 to the School of Nursing and Midwifery, and 653 to the Cardinal Academy to enhance access to quality learning materials.
The donation, presented on Tuesday, was made possible through TANGO’s partnership with Book Aid International, a UK-based charity dedicated to increasing access to books and literacy. According to TANGO, the collaboration with Book Aid began in 2022 and has continued to deliver relevant and up-to-date academic resources to Gambian institutions.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, TANGO Executive Director Ndey Sireng Bakurin emphasized the vital role of educational resources in national development.
“Access to quality learning materials is a critical academic component. Education remains the cornerstone of sustainable development,” she said.
Describing the donation as more than just a distribution of books, Bakurin added, “It is a contribution to knowledge, capacity building, and the empowerment of future leaders, health professionals, and change-makers in The Gambia.” She stressed that the books are not only new but have been carefully vetted to ensure their relevance to the country’s development needs.
She thanked Book Aid International for its sustained support and acknowledged the Curriculum and Research Directorate of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) for its role in the vetting process. Bakurin reaffirmed TANGO’s commitment to inclusive education and called for continued collaboration between government, civil society, and international partners to ensure every student in The Gambia has the tools they need to succeed.
Representing MoBSE’s Curriculum, Research, and Evaluation Directorate, Mrs. Kumba Bah highlighted the importance of the vetting process.
“We looked at the content, the age appropriateness—whether for early childhood, primary, secondary, or tertiary education—and the physical condition of the books,” she said.
In receiving the donations, representatives of the beneficiary institutions—Madam Haddy Drammeh for UTG, Mrs. Fatoumata Bah for the School of Nursing and Midwifery, and Mike Fakomadoh for the Cardinal Academy—expressed deep appreciation to TANGO. They each pledged that the books would be well-utilized to enhance learning and academic achievement among their students.
