At least 30 teachers, head teachers and school cluster monitors last Wednesday began a three-day training on multi-grade teaching at the Armitage Senior Secondary School library in Janjangbureh, Central River Region.

The training was organised by the University of Massachusetts in collaboration with the Department of State for Basic and Secondary Education under a pilot project - Learning Initiative for Rural Education (LIRE) - for schools in The Gambia and Senegal sponsored by the World Bank.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Lamin Darboe, deputy governor of the Central River Region said the training will help participants enormously in multi-grade and curriculum development, classroom management and action research processes.  According to him, the success of this and other projects depends on the hand work and determination of the beneficiaries. Deputy Governor Darboe then urged the participants to take the workshop seriously and make the best use of the knowledge and skills gained.

Babucarr Sawareh, the director of Education, Region 5, said the project  is a pilot project in Region 5 and 6, duly implemented with the aim to foster access to primary schools in low-density populated area in both The Gambia and Senegal, through a multi-grade teaching system.
Mbarou Mbaye, the director of the National Council of Negro Women,  said the council is US-based and has existed since 1935. “It has existed in Senegal since 1975.  The mission of the council is to improve the socio-economic status of women in the USA, internationally focusing in rural Africa,” she said.  

According to her, since the council has already implemented programs in Senegal, it has now stretched its wings to The Gambia with the sole aim of improving learning in rural areas.

Emily Foon Sarr, the coordinator of Learning Initiative for Rural Education, said the project will accomplish its mission which is to ensure multi-grade teaching quality in ten schools in Senegal and seven in The Gambia for Regions 5 and 6.