Schools that benefited last week from President Jammeh’s donation of school buses have got in touch with the Daily Observer to express their gratitude.

In reacting to President Jammeh’s gesture, the Gambia SeniorSecondarySchool principal, Lamin M.B Jaiteh had this to say:

“Any patriotic citizen of this country would not deny that this is a great gesture in the sense that when we talk of quality and relevant education time must be a factor and we have realised that students and teachers come to school late because of inadequate transport facilities.

In order to make education more relevant to the needs of society and individuals every second, minute, hour and day counts.  The donation would go a long way to make use of any second or time element in transmitting knowledge and skills to future leaders

In short, lateness is now history in this school. We therefore thank the Gambian leader for his vision and foresight in inculcating quality and relevant education to our future leaders.”

For his part, Amadou Leigh, the headboy of the school had this to say: “On behalf of my fellow students, I thank President Jammeh for the gesture. We used to suffer a lot to come to school and go back home, but with this bus, the problem is over.”

Awa Sowe, the headgirl of the school had this to say; “The President Jammeh has done it again, he has been doing so many things for Gambian schools and in particular my own school. He is telling us that Gambia Senior Secondary School is his alma mater.

He is the kind of President who is working in the best interest of the young people and in particular students. We want to assure him that our bus will be put to good use and together we can develop disciplined Gambian students.”

Also speaking to the Daily Observer, Martin Gomez, the principal of St. Augustine’s Senior Secondary School had this to say: “For us, it is the surprise of a life time.  Surprise because we were not thinking or expecting a gift of a bus from President Jammeh.

We are not saying he is not capable of giving us a bus.  the President Jammeh has good intentions for our school.

Just last year, he bought us furniture at a tune of D600,000.  How much I wish he was an alumini of St. Augustine’s Senior Secondary School. It is important for you to know that on that very fateful Thursday, he sent us a gift of exercise books in the morning. President Jammeh is  making me realise my dreams in running my school.

We are very much happy and we had special prayers for him at the assembly yesterday just like we did when he gave us the gift of furniture.  The bus is very timely and I hope Gambian students will pay heed to the Gambian leader’s advice and understand him.  He is a true pan-Africanist and if we have people like him, The Gambia will be the best country in the world.”

James Bass, headboy of the school said: “We are surprised and elated with the gesture.  At the ceremony of the breakthrough, President Jammeh came to our side and said to us, ‘St. Augustine I have something for you’.  At first we thought it was money, but when the bus arrived we were overwhelmed, we thank him very much.  And we want to assure him that the gift is very timely and we’ll put it to good use.”