Tag Archives: Gambia

According to collegesanduniversitiesinusa, Gambia has a long and complex educational history that dates back to the colonial era. The first school in Gambia was established in the 1820s by British missionaries who were looking to spread Christianity. This school, known as the Bathurst School, provided basic instruction in reading, writing and arithmetic. Over the next few decades, more schools were opened up throughout Gambia as part of a concerted effort to spread education across the country. During this time period, most of the schools were run by religious organizations such as the Roman Catholic Church and the Church Missionary Society (CMS). These schools focused on providing basic education in literacy and numeracy but also included some moral instruction which was intended to instill Christian values into students. By 1880, there were around seventy primary schools operating in Gambia with an estimated three thousand students enrolled in them. In 1901, secondary education was introduced with the opening of Albert Academy which was followed by other secondary schools over the next few decades such as Gambia High School (1911), Armitage High School (1913) and St. Augustine’s High School (1917). These schools focused on providing higher levels of education with an emphasis on preparing students for college-level study or professional employment. In 1951, Gambia gained its independence from Britain and subsequently began working towards expanding its educational system. A number of technical colleges and universities were established throughout this period including Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI) in 1953, University of The Gambia in 1999 and various other institutions such as Medical Research Council (MRC) which provided specialized training for medical personnel. Today, education is free and compulsory for children aged 6-15 years old with literacy rates at around 78%. There are a number of public universities located throughout the country including University of The Gambia which is ranked among one of the top universities on continental Africa alongside University Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar (Senegal) and University Marien Ngouabi (Congo). In addition to this there are also several private institutions offering higher education programs such as American International University West Africa which is accredited by US-based Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC). Gambia is a small, landlocked country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic coast. It is bordered by Senegal to the north, east and south and has a population of 1.9 million people. In 2009, The Gambia was still recovering from a 22-year dictatorship under President Yahya Jammeh that had been in power since 1994. Jammeh’s rule was marked by human rights violations, corruption and economic stagnation. In 2009, Gambia was considered to be one of the poorest countries in the world with a GDP per capita of just US$1,400 and an unemployment rate of around 28%. The country was heavily reliant on foreign aid with almost half of its budget coming from international sources such as the World Bank and European Union. Politically, Gambia had a multi-party system but opposition parties were largely prevented from participating in elections due to restrictions imposed by President Jammeh’s regime. International organizations such as Human Rights Watch reported on numerous instances of political repression including arbitrary arrests and torture of political opponents and journalists. Gambia’s foreign policy focused mainly on regional integration through its membership in the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) which aimed to promote economic cooperation between member states as well as promote good governance and democracy through its Protocol On Democracy And Good Governance. In 2009, Gambia also began re-engaging with global powers such as Britain after decades of strained relations during President Jammeh’s rule. Internationally, Gambia maintained good relations with many African countries particularly its neighbors Senegal and Guinea Bissau which it has close ties with. However it had strained relations with other countries such as Ivory Coast due to disputes over borders between them that had been ongoing for decades without resolution. In 2009 Gambia also participated in United Nations peacekeeping missions having contributed troops to operations such as UNAMID (Darfur) from 2007 onwards as well as providing troops for UNIFIL (Lebanon) since 2008. Overall, the country remained largely isolated on the international stage due to its poor human rights record under President Jammeh’s rule but it did have some diplomatic successes such as being elected onto the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2009 for a three year term which allowed it greater access to international forums where it could voice its concerns over various issues related to human rights abuses taking place within its own borders at that time. Check mathgeneral for Gambia in 2017.