In this week’s Top Class edition, we bring you the full statement delivered by Hon. Crispin Grey-Johnson, Secretary of State for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology on the occasion of the 5th convocation ceremony of the University of The Gambia, held on Saturday at the Independent stadium in Bakau.

We are gathered once more, and for the fifth time, to recognise achievement and reward excellence. For the fifth time, we are confirming that yes, we can produce within The Gambia, university graduates in the fields that are critical to our development needs. If there are still people who continue to doubt our resolve and our ability to dispense university education within these shores, the message to them should now be loud and clear: the University of The Gambia is here to stay.

We should all feel a sense of triumph, of accomplishment, and of satisfaction that we continue to enhance our capacity to allow young Gambian men and women to realise their dreams and meet their educational goals right here in their own country. People of my generation never expected this to happen in our lifetime, but leadership and vision proved us wrong.

Let me pay homage to all the patriotic individuals within and outside the university, and all their partners, who have gone through thick and thin to bring this institution into being and help it stand on its own two feet. In this, we most first and foremost, recognise and applaud the commitment, dedication and tenacity of our head of state, the President of the Republic, His Excellency Alhaji Professor Dr. Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh. We thank him for his continued personal interest in, and support to the institution, the staff and the students.  
In the second half of the 20th Century, development practitioners believed that it was the creation of things that brought about development.

Highways, railroads and edifices were considered the determinants of development. Development policies and programmes throughout the developing world concentrated on the creation of such things. Then, towards the end of that period, the thinking shifted to money: with money and a large GDP, a country would be developed. Attention swiftly shifted to monetarist and economistic approaches to the quest for development. This led to a disastrous period of IMF/World Bank structural adjustment programmes that wrought havoc on the African economy and society.

Now, it is widely accepted that development is neither about money nor things, but about people - people who are able to judiciously use financial and material resources to progressively bring about qualitative changes in their lives and in the lives of others. There are many resource-rich countries, and countries with huge revenues from oil, that are still classified in the category of underdevelopment? There are many countries in the developing world with well-developed infrastructure and beautiful cities and towns, whose inhabitants are the only initiators and beneficiaries of the development process. They are at the very centre of this process.

And I am not here referring to quantity/numbers of people. I am speaking of quality. It is the quality of the people in any given economy, that becomes the determining factor in regard to that country’s development prospects. People with well-honed skills and knowledge as well as positive, development-oriented attitudes are the only factors that must be looked up to as true agents of socio-economic development. And it is to educational systems and institutions that we must turn, for the provision of these development agents.

Within these systems and institutions, we most be able to set strong foundations at primary and secondary levels on which advanced knowledge, which is provided at the tertiary and higher level, could be built. It is from advanced knowledge gained at the topmost level of the educational pyramid that a country’s hopes for growth, transformation and development must inevitably be pinned. In all of human history, no nation lacking the capacity to dispense advanced knowledge and produce highly educated and trained people, has ever been able to secure development for it people. Investing it the creation and strengthening of the University of The Gambia therefore, is a necessary investment in our security, or development and our future.

There is yet another reason why we must not relent in our drive to ensure that the nation is fully invested with the capacity to produce its own agents of change and development. Globalisation in the 21st century has brought the whole world into one single village where, unless we possess the right tools, prosperity will pass us by. The competition for resources is becoming fiercer by the day. And it is knowledge that is driving success. The global economy has become a knowledge economy and any country that hopes to hold its own, must be part of that knowledge economy.

We must therefore invest ourselves with the capabilities to participate fully in, and enjoy the benefits of this new order, by creating the institutional capacities and having them properly aligned to meet the need.

It is in awareness of this imperative that the government of The Gambia stands firm in its resolve to aim for high quality in the dispensation of higher education in the country. Quality education is not only necessary, but is also critical in enhancing our competitiveness on the global scene. And we continue to create and strengthen the structures required for oversight and monitoring for quality and relevance. We have established the Higher Education Observatory to scrutinise academic institutions for quality assurance, accreditation and equivalence of quality assurance of qualifications from other countries.

Government has continued its unflinching support to the University. Last year, a total amount of thirteen million dalasis was disbursed to the university. Four hundred and twenty students were provided full scholarship; and vehicles and buses made available to management and the student body by His Excellency The President, amounted to well over eight million dalasis. It is expected that this year, Government allocations for the running and upkeep of the University will be even higher.

This form of support will be even more robust in the years to come, and will enable the university expand its programmes and enhance the quality of teaching and research. Programmes in computer science, and in media studies have already commended. I understand that plans are under way for the creation of a centre for the Performing Arts. Task Forces are currently undertaking work on proposals for the initiation of engineering programmes, and on the ways of integrating Animal Science and Husbandry into the current Agricultural Science programmes.

But what is even more important, is not the number of programmes on  offer. Rather it is the relevance and quality of those programmes. The present food and energy crises for example, point to the need for certain programmatic interventions and adjustments in teaching, learning and research. I ask, what are the possibilities of developing programmes in solar or wind energy, or irrigation engineering, or hydrology? Are these not areas whose development could have an immediate positive impact on the lives of ordinary Gambians? Are they not worth considering? Should we not begin thinking about expanding programmes along these direction.

Students enrolments are expected to grow from year to year, and so also are the University’s resource requirements. This would call for substantially increased resource support which many, for the most part, have to come from Government coffers.  We would therefore continue our efforts to diversity the sources of financing the University, by increasing partnerships with all the major stakeholders the private sector the parastatals, civil society, national and international donors, etc.  The University itself must increase its efforts at income generation. It has, within its walls tremendous capacities for commercial activities through R&D and through the provision of consultancy services.  It must tap into these more systematically, to raise revenue to supplement Government’s efforts.

The integration of the four main tertiary level institutions is firmly under way. When the process is completed, the Gambia Technical Institute, the Management Development Institute and the Gambia College will come under the administration and management of the University of the Gambia. Their present governance structures will be collapsed under the University’s and their respective conditions service, staff rules and regulations, salary scales, etc. will be harmonized with the University’s. The current University of The Gambia Act is in the process of being amended, after which, the requisite actions along the process will commence. Upon completion of the process, the student population of the integrated University will surpass six thousand.

I should also let you know that His Excellency the President continues to leverage support from the international community for the construction of the Faraba Banta campus, which will be the permanent home of the University of The Gambia. He has already secured a pledge of some fourteen million dollars for the first phase of construction works. Other groups of financiers are actively working on the appraisal of subsequent phases and we are confident that their support will soon be forthcoming. There is therefore no doubt in my mind that in the next few years, we will all have before our eyes a new, beautiful university city at Faraba Banta.

Allow me now to say a few words to our graduands.  " To have successfully completed a university programme, requires self-discipline, sacrifice and endurance- attributes which no subject area will teach you. I therefore want to believe that apart from your degrees and diplomas, which attest to your having displayed proficiency in a certain area of study to a certain level, you are also leaving the University with something which might be even greater than the knowledge you have acquired- a certain strength of character, which, at the end of the day, is what will certainly see you through life, helping you leap over one hurdle after another, as you head towards success and self-fulfilment.

The university contributed in no small measure, in enabling you with this invaluable gift. It did so, free of charge. Be thankful for this, and always cherish and protect this gift" You have every reason to feel proud, and to celebrate your well-earned success. We, your parents, friend and sponsors are extremely happy that you have finished the race and are ready to begin making your contributions to society. Let me remind you that the degree you have earned is not a badge of exclusiveness, nor is it something that should make you feel superior to your fellow men and women.

In fact your degree imposes on you a new obligation, a responsibility to give back to society. As you prepare to take up this responsibility, I urge you to uphold your integrity and self-respect. Let humility govern your relations with your fellow men. Eschew arrogance and pride and always be prepared to be of service to the nation.