President Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh on Thursday donated 20 buses to senior secondary schools, tertiary instittions and the APRC secretariat/ Green Youths, at a ceremony held at the July 22nd Square in Banjul.

The beneficiaries included St Peters Technical Senior Secondary, Gambia Senior Secondary, St Joseph’s Senior Secondary, Muslim Senior Secondary, Nusrat Senior Secondary, Mingdow Senior Secondary, St Augustines Senior Secondary, Fatima Senior Secondary, Mayork Senior Secondary Schools each one bus, 2 buses for Sifoe Senior Secondary School and 2 other buses for Bullock-Ndemban-Somita schools.

The tertiary institutions that also benefited were the Management Development Institute, the Gambia College, the University of The Gambia, the Medical School, the School of Nursing. Two other buses were also donated to the APRC Secretariat/Green Youths.

Handing over the keys for the buses, President Jammeh implored the students to show discipline not only to authority but as well in their schools and to their parents. According to him, if the students maintain such behaviours, they can get whatever they want from him.

He reminded the students that they are the future leaders of this country and should set the example of good leaders today. “You are the future leaders of this country but a future can be any future. I dont want it to be any other future but a bright future indeed. Therefore, to ensure that it is a bright future, you the students have to ensure discipline” he said.

He added: “I will hold headmasters or principals of any  institution responsible, for any discipline in the schools but students should also be their own policemen and women”. He added that, there are behaviours of certain students which are unacceptable and urged them not to allow one rotten potato to spoil their chances. He then reiterated the job  of the prefects in the schools to ensure discipline and urged them to have no compromise for the fact that, the indiscipline of one can spoil the repetition of the whole school which he advised students not to allow.

President Jammeh then explained clearly why it took so long for schools to have school buses saying “there was a time during the transition days when I was accused by every parent of spoiling you the students. So you were then fooled by the enemies of this country and you failed me on April 10 and 11.

That was why, we did not provide school buses for you but now I think you have learn a lesson. If the school children are opposed to the government, is like taking a gun and shooting someone who feeds you. Today, where are those who were fooling you. Even if they say they cannot provide school buses for you, they should have even provided ‘Gele Gele’, but they have not even provided a tractor for you. So next time someone pushes you to oppose the government that takes care of you, you pay for it”.

The Gambian leader then made it clear to the students that if they behave well, they will have more from him noting that, there is no limit as to what to give to students but what the students’ give themselves. He further assured that with the commitment of the students in ensuring discipline, in the next six months, there may be more surprises for them.

 He then thanked the government of the Republic of Iran for the grant in procuring the buses noting that, the grant was meant for the Jammeh Foundation for Peace and since it is an organisation that assist the needy, he decided to use the money to buy buses for the school children. He then felt sorry for the students about the transport difficulties over the years.

For her part, Fatou Lamin Faye, secretary of state for Basic and Secondary Education described the gesture as magnanimous noting that it will greatly alleviate the perennial transportation problems that the students have been facing on a daily basis to and from school and to undertake other activities.

She recalled during the first anniversary of the breakthrough in the cure for HIV/AIDs and others, when President Jammeh donated buses to all the Senior Secondary Schools in the Greater Banjul Area that took part in the celebrations. That donation according to her, helped greatly in ensuring that some of the students that got to school late due to transportation problems, get there on time thus, increasing the contact time they had with their teachers.

These new buses according to her, will no doubt add a new impetus to the education system by making access to education at all levels a reality for everyone in this country. She added that, as a sector, the Department of State for Education knows that  to Jammeh as far as education is concern, the sky is the limit and assured that they are prepared more than ever before to accompany him on the flight to the sky.

She then observed that these buses are donated to the schools due to the lessons learn from the previous buses donated to the Gambia Senior Secondary School which created a special account for the proceeds from the buses and used the resources to operate as well maintain them and even endeavour to send a statement of account to the Office of the President on an annual basis.

She then urged all principals and heads of tertiary institutions to learn from the example and to monitor the use of the buses and ensure their proper care and maintenance. She also advised the students to take care of the buses for them to last long and thanked President Jammeh on behalf of the Department of State for Education, students and teachers for the magnanimous gesture.

Crispin Grey-Johnson, secretary of state for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, described the gesture as yet another benovalent support from President Jammeh to the education sector that he eyes for a lot. He thanked the government of Iran for the grant and expressed hope that the excellent already existing relations will be further strengthen.

According to him, mobility is vital in any learning process and advised the students to take proper care of the buses. The buses he added, will greatly facilitate agricultural students on field trips as well as visit historical sites which are important. He then highlighted the major rehabilitations to be conducted at the UTG and The Gambia College and thanked President Jammeh for his personal support towards the education of young Gambians.

At the end of the ceremony, President Jammeh awarded cash prizes- Gambia Senior Secondary School and Gambia Technical Training Institute each won D10,000, Gambia College won D20,000, St Augustine Senior Secondary School won D30,000, Muslim Senior Secondary School won D40,000, St Joseph Senior Secondary School won D50,000, Nusrat Senior Secondary School won60,000, the MDI, University of The Gambia, Sifoe Senior Secondary School, School of Nursing each got D5,000 and the Green Youths D20,000.

Mrs Adele Sock, principal of the St Joseph’s Senior Secondary School delivered the vote of thanks on behalf of all the beneficiaries.