By Buba Gagigo
Dr. Alieu Gibba, a senior lecturer at the University of The Gambia, has expressed doubts about the feasibility of moving the university to Faraba. He cited the lack of dormitories, unfinished toilet facilities, and running water as major concerns.
“Whatever the case is, going to Faraba now seems to be impossible, the Campus is not complete. There are no dormitories for the students. The toilets are not fully furnished, and then running water also is not available. Two weeks ago there were no chairs, no tables, no furniture in the classrooms. The campus is brushy. Security is not there, and you want to transport 6000 students on a daily basis just like people are going for political rallies? Are you going to increase the transport allowance for the lecturers? Is that calculated? No,” he said.
Dr. Gibba noted that the university has a staff bus, but it is not large enough to transport all staff to the Faraba campus. He also expressed concerns about the lack of facilities and amenities at the campus to meet the needs of students while they wait for classes to begin. Additionally, he pointed out that the logistics of transporting nearly 6,000 students to Faraba have not yet been clearly defined.
“We are going to join the students and sweat inside the bus and go and teach and come back, is not possible. 6000 students to go and come back on a daily basis. We don’t have the infrastructure. It is just one road to Faraba. We don’t have overhead routes. So where are these 20 buses going to use, which road are they going to use? There are no places where students can sit around, hang around and wait for lectures. Those things are not there,” he said.