By Abdou Mbye
The World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director recently paid a courtesy visit to the Honourable Minister of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE), Haddy Jatou Sey, at her office in Banjul.
The engagement aimed at strengthening the existing mutual collaboration and support between the ministry and WFP in enhancing responsive and quality education for Gambian students.
Miranda SENDE, the WFP Country Director took the opportunity to brief the Minister on salient activities that WFP embarks on, which include proposal for ISDB loan facility for school feeding, the impact of school meals, and the ECOWAS technical meeting focusing on coalition of school meals.
She further informed the Honourable Minister that the findings of the school feeding have positive impact on students’ performance.
Honourable Minister Sey expressed gratitude to the WFP Country Director for the visit, highlighting the significance of their intervention in improving retention, enrollment, and performance of students in schools.
In a similar but separate event the UNICEF Country Rep, Nafisa Binte Shafique, also called on Minister Sey.
The purpose of the visit was to strengthen the partnership between the Ministry and UNICEF, focusing on improving the education system to better meet the needs and aspirations of the people.
Honourable Minister Sey expressed gratitude to the UNICEF Representative for the visit, acknowledging UNICEF’s significant role as a strong partner in supporting education in The Gambia. She highlighted the importance of UNICEF’s support in increasing enrollment and retention rates, emphasizing the vital role of the education ministry in national development.
Minister Sey also stressed the importance of in-service and pre-service teacher training, the adoption of language in education policy, effective monitoring techniques, and digitalisation of the curriculum to enhance learning outcomes. Additionally, she reaffirmed her commitment to improving education financing through donor funding and partnerships with education stakeholders.
Nafisa Binte Shafique expressed gratitude for the warm welcome and underscored the crucial role of the education ministry in preparing the country’s human capital for socio-economic and political development. She outlined UNICEF’s new country programme for education, which includes support for teacher training, strengthening education policy objectives, and assistance for vulnerable and marginalized students.
She emphasised the importance of smart education financing and pledged UNICEF’s continued support to MoBSE, stating, “this year is for Africa to transform education.”
