The Gambia Methodist Academy recently held its graduation and prize-giving ceremony at the school premises in Bakau.
Speaking at the occasion, the guest speaker, Crisping Grey Johnson, Secretary of State for Higher Education Research, Science and Technology, said speech and prize giving day is the highest point in the school calendar. This, he said is when the school has an opportunity to evaluate itself, to acknowledge its performance, to learn from its mistakes and to public sing its own praises and shout from the top of the roof for all to hear.

He added that it is also a time for recognition and encouragement, a time to reward those students who have worked hard and excelled in their studies, or who have throughout shown perseverance or in one way or another or stood out for effect or comportment.
According to SoS Johnson “The great-grandparents of Methodist Academy were the Wesleyan Mission Day School, which was founded in 1821. The Wesleyan Boys’ High School was established in 1975, and one was also set for girls in 1915. It was called Methodist Girls’ High School (MGHS),” he said noting that the MGHS had a co-educational kindergarten and preparatory section.

“I was one of the few Gambian boys who had the privilege of attending both the MGHS and the MBHS. It was the merger of these two high schools that produced Gambia High school in 1959”, he revealed.
According to him, education in The Gambia was a victim of official neglect, and when efforts were made to demonstrate some interest, emphasis went to the wrong sub-sector. “In the early days of the First Republic, The Gambia saw some interest being shown in primary and junior secondary education, senior secondary education was not a priority and, of course, official policy for the tertiary level was that The Gambia did not need university.

How wrong those policy-makers were. For how can anyone develop a nation without higher educational institutions to produce the nation’s scientists, teachers and resources? These are precisely the professional, scientific and technical personal that catalyse the development process in any economy. A country may have all the minerals and natural resources that could make it wealthy, but without the human resources to transform those resources in ways that generate wealth, those endowments remain useless”, he added.
SoS Johnson said priority has now been assigned to tertiary avocation and provision will be made for Gambians to have opportunities for education in every field of learning. “The University of The Gambia has ambitious and impressive development plans, in the medium term and it should be in a position to offer courses in all the core areas that impact development. The private sector is also being encouraged to continue and expand their participation in the provision of higher education especially in fields such as management, accounting, computer science and IT and in the fields of study that are not available in the country. The Government operates, and in fact, intends to significantly increase a generous scholarships scheme for overseas study”, he added.

SoS Johnson concluded that the future job prospects in this country are indeed very encouraging. “I would like to congratulate the Methodist Academy on yet another successful academic year along with all other secondary schools in The Gambia to join government’s drive to transform our country into a clever, well educated and highly trained nation in thinking. This is the only way we can transform our country from “least developed” to “developed” status in a very short time. This, I believe, is what we all aspire to”, he concluded.

For her part, the guest of honour, Hon Angela Colley, SoS for Tourism and Culture, advised the outgoing students to be ready to face the challenge ahead as they are now entering into another life. She urged the students to focus on their less and see their boots as their friends.
Mr. Emmanuel AK Owusu, the School Principal, delivered the school report and the vote of thanks was delivered by the Head boy, Ebrima Jagne.