The General Secretary of Gambia Teacher’s Union (GTU), Marie Antoinette Corr on Saturday 3rd October, 2020 called on Gambia government to prioritize education in its support mechanisms amid the Corona virus pandemic.
“Teachers deserve more than just our gratitude; they deserve our full support”, she stressed.
She made these statement during a presser held at the GTU Secretariat ahead of the World Teachers Day which usually holds every 5th October to celebrate the teaching profession worldwide.
Corr continued that government should not let teachers and students to pay the cost of the crisis and the education system must be protected from current financial pressures and budgetary constraints.
“let us recognize that investing in teachers is a wise investment in our efforts to build strong economies, cohesive societies and a future of dignity and opportunity for all”, She stated.
Over 700,000 students are out of school amid the pandemic, thus exposed to multitudes of risks and vulnerabilities. The GTU SG explained that the issue of teacher leadership concerning crisis response is not just timely but critical in terms of the contribution teachers have made and continue to make to provide distance learning and ensure that the learning gaps are mitigated.
Corr used the occasion expressed her sincere gratitude and deepest appreciation to every teacher in The Gambia for their tireless and wonderful work of service to the Gambia’s future. “We appreciate the efforts, time and even personal resources you committed just to ensure that learning continues and more importantly for the Grade 9s and 12s to sit to their respective examinations”, she said.
The General Secretary reiterated her Union’s commitment to work progressively with all stakeholders to ensure that the aspirations of teachers become a reality. “We aspire that every child must have well-motivated, well qualified and professional teachers”.
For his part, Essa Sowe Deputy General Secretary GTU said 500 solar powered radio handsets were given to under privileged students who were then in Grade 9 in perceived hard-to-reach areas after participating in a face to face meeting with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary education and the National Assembly Select Committee for Education and ICT to present the Education Emergency Response Strategy.
“We also supported some regional and national WhatsApp/Online platforms with token amounts to facilitate the purchase of bytes”, he revealed.
He said after the proclamation for the closure of schools throughout the country in March 18th, the union participated in the development of the Conceptual framework of the Emergency Response Strategy. Ultimately, he said the Framework for the GPE Accelerated Fund was developed and the country was subsequently awarded 3.5Million US Dollars.
This year World Teachers Day will celebrate teachers with theme; ‘Teachers: Leading in Crisis, reimagining the Future’.
By Adam Drammeh
“Teachers deserve more than just our gratitude; they deserve our full support”, she stressed.
She made these statement during a presser held at the GTU Secretariat ahead of the World Teachers Day which usually holds every 5th October to celebrate the teaching profession worldwide.
Corr continued that government should not let teachers and students to pay the cost of the crisis and the education system must be protected from current financial pressures and budgetary constraints.
“let us recognize that investing in teachers is a wise investment in our efforts to build strong economies, cohesive societies and a future of dignity and opportunity for all”, She stated.
Over 700,000 students are out of school amid the pandemic, thus exposed to multitudes of risks and vulnerabilities. The GTU SG explained that the issue of teacher leadership concerning crisis response is not just timely but critical in terms of the contribution teachers have made and continue to make to provide distance learning and ensure that the learning gaps are mitigated.
Corr used the occasion expressed her sincere gratitude and deepest appreciation to every teacher in The Gambia for their tireless and wonderful work of service to the Gambia’s future. “We appreciate the efforts, time and even personal resources you committed just to ensure that learning continues and more importantly for the Grade 9s and 12s to sit to their respective examinations”, she said.
The General Secretary reiterated her Union’s commitment to work progressively with all stakeholders to ensure that the aspirations of teachers become a reality. “We aspire that every child must have well-motivated, well qualified and professional teachers”.
For his part, Essa Sowe Deputy General Secretary GTU said 500 solar powered radio handsets were given to under privileged students who were then in Grade 9 in perceived hard-to-reach areas after participating in a face to face meeting with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary education and the National Assembly Select Committee for Education and ICT to present the Education Emergency Response Strategy.
“We also supported some regional and national WhatsApp/Online platforms with token amounts to facilitate the purchase of bytes”, he revealed.
He said after the proclamation for the closure of schools throughout the country in March 18th, the union participated in the development of the Conceptual framework of the Emergency Response Strategy. Ultimately, he said the Framework for the GPE Accelerated Fund was developed and the country was subsequently awarded 3.5Million US Dollars.
This year World Teachers Day will celebrate teachers with theme; ‘Teachers: Leading in Crisis, reimagining the Future’.
By Adam Drammeh