Minister of Information, Communication and Infrastructure
By Landing Ceesay
The Minister of Information, Communication and Infrastructure Ebrima Sillah said Education occupies a center stage in President Adama Barrow’s development initiatives.
“The undisputable record of unprecedented developments sector by sector: we start with Basic and Secondary Education. And all these will be recorded in local languages for Gambians to make informed choices. The unstoppable NPP!!! Education occupies a centre stage in President Adama Barrow’s development initiatives.
“Since coming to power in 2017, President Barrow’s government has built new schools adding more than 3000 new classrooms to the existing ones, refurbished classrooms, provided water supply systems in schools, built solar systems in schools, as well as teachers’ quarters across the country,” Sillah posted on Facebook page.
The Minister of information further stated that under President Barrow, there is free tuition fee and or no school fees for students attending Grade 1 to 12 in public schools.
He added that the government also provides free textbooks for pupils from Grades 1 to 9 as well as D2000 for each Grade 10 student for textbooks.
“President Barrow’s government also pays School Improvement Grant (SIG), which is money paid to school accounts on behalf of students from Grades 1 to 12. Exam fees for Grades 9 & 12, are being paid by the Government while providing a budget line for school feeding for the provision of free school meals for schools in the Lower River Region & West Coast Region. Just recently, about 1,300 teachers have been promoted to different categories ending decades of stagnation in the teaching sectors,” Hon. Sillah stated.
The information minister also urged Gambians to vote for President for “continuity of the massive developments being initiated under the Basic and Secondary Education Sector”.
President Adama Barrow, the standard-bearer of the National People’s Party (NPP) currently canvassing votes would on December 4 lock horns with his former party and main opposition, the UDP; PDOIS; GDC; National Unity Party; and Essa Mbye Faal, the Independent Candidate.
Barrow who came through a coalition in 2016 is seeking a second term, while each of his 5 opposition candidates is looking for a maiden term in State House.