As Japan Gives Grant of  67,327 Euros

The Gambia Rural Development Agency (GARDA) and the embassy of the government of Japan on Tuesday signed a project agreement, worth in the region of  67, 327 Euro,  for the construction of classroom blocks at Sambang Upper Basic School.
 
The agreement was signed on behalf of the government of Japan by the Japanese ambassador to The Gambia based in Dakar, Senegal, His Excellency Takashi Saito, while the Executive Director of  GARDA, Mr Kebba Bah, signed on behalf of his agency.

During the signing ceremony, which was held at the Japanese embassy in Dakar, Ambassador Saito lamented the shortage of educational structures and classrooms in The Gambia, which he said forces  many students to leave school early.
 
“In local areas such as Sambang, this problem is even more serious,” he said. Therefore, to improve the situation, Ambassador Saito said the government of Japan decided to finance such a project, which he said will enable Sambang Upper Basic School to increase its capacity to  enroll  more students.

“With this grant, the school will be able to double its number of students from 240 to 480,” he said.

Ambassador Saito went on to reiterate how the Japanese government considers education as vital for the socio-economic development of any country, and therefore, gives priority to education in its cooperation programme. “That is why Japan encourages the action of your agency, which makes self-reliant efforts for the harmonious development of your country,” he remarked. The Japanese envoy therefore expressed appreciation for the efforts of  GARDA to engage many girls, giving them scholarships and a chance to improve their status and to claim their rights in the future.

He expressed the hope that the grant will help to promote and strengthen the friendly relations existing between Japan and The Gambia.

In his response, the Executive Director of GARDA, Kebba Bah expressed gratitude on behalf of the parent-teacher association, teachers and students of the school, as well as the management of GARDA to the government of Japan for the grant. He gave the undertaking that the grant will be utilized in accordance with the conditions of the grant. He promised that GARDA will intensify its efforts in creating the enabling environment in which the school operates.
 
Sambang Upper Basic School was built in 1997 by the Gambia Rural Development Agency (GARDA) in order to fill a vacuum for an Upper Basic School in the area It was later designated as a ‘Centre of Excellence for Girls’ which encourages and caters for the education of girls by FAWEGAM. Since its inception, the school has enormously transformed the level of literacy in the beneficiary communities particularly girls through active community participation and support from FAWEGAM.