The Tallinding Islamic Institute was last Saturday the venue of a conference organised by Gambian Muslim religious leaders in the country. The conference, attended by hundreds of Islamic devotees, was born out of the concern of Muslim leaders with the growing influence of the Shia Islamic sect in The Gambia. Alhaji Abdoulie Fatty, the Imam of State House mosque, Sheikh Gibril Krubally, the Imam of Tallinding mosque and lecturer at the Tallinding Islamic Institute, Dr. Mbye Kah, a Gambian Islamic scholar of repute, Oustass Muhammad Lamin Touray and other notable religious commentators on the Islamic religion, took turns to impart well-researched material ranging from the origin, beliefs, practices, societal values, et cetera of the Shia sect to a rapt audience.

Addressing the gathering Imam Alhaji Abdoulie Fatty called on Gambians to be on their guard against possible advances of Shia adherents and apostles to lure them into embracing what he considered the heretic Shia doctrine. The Imam made reference to various instances and reasons why the beliefs and practices of the Shia sect are contrary to orthodox Islam as taught by the holy prophet Muhammad and spread by his devoted followers and companions. The Imam contended that the Shia doctrine is founded on the negation and rejection of the honour of the other three great Khaliphs (Leaders of the faithful) after the demise of the holy prophet, namely Aboubacarr, Omar and Ousman (Peace be Upon them). He said that the teachings of the Shia clamour for and favour the primacy of Khaliph Alie, the cousin of the holy prophet whom the Shia consider to be the rightful successor of the holy prophet (PBUH) but whose position as conferred by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself was usurped by Aboubacarr and others through treachery.

According to Imam Abdoulie Fatty, the sect has in recent times reinforced its activities in The Gambia by establishing an office and aggressively promulgating their doctrine in the hope of winning converts. He labelled the Shia sect as troublesome and further advised those gathered not to welcome them in this country. He added that the Shia Muslims are responsible for most of the woes in the Muslim world, thus causing untold suffering to many. “Because of them Muslims are considered terrorists,” he said, adding:

“They have the money to influence you, and they also provide scholarship for people.”

He therefore advised Muslims to be mindful of them and not let them corrupt their unpolluted religious beliefs.

Shia is a Muslim sect, mostly found in Iran, Iraq and Lebanon and considered to have extreme and unusual beliefs and customs different from the orthodox and accepted teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Mr. Mohmaed Fornah, principal of IPAM on Kombo Sillah High Way looks into the future of the institute with passion and hopes of an excellent institution. The young passionate principal has a wealth of experience as he had bagged his BSc Economics at the Fourah Bay College in Freetown and had enriched himself by working assiduously to pass on his education to others by serving in high ranking senior secondary schools and institutions in The Gambia, including GTTI. He came to the Institute of Professional Administrative Management (IPAM) and saw from the outside that he could further push the institute ahead to meet up his dream for a brighter Gambia in line with President Jammeh’s Vision 2020. With cooperation from all and sundry, this elegant lecturer and leader would make IPAM and its students the best in the employment world with a focus on increasing its international status both in education and employment. Augustine Kanjia talks with Mohamed Fornah and discovers how IPAM has improved many in a short time and how he is encouraging the educated to come and enhance their earning capacity.

EIG: Could you please tell me about your humble beginnings?

Med Fornah: Well, I am a Sierra Leonean but I have been in The Gambia for over 9 years now. I have since been in the educational sector and taught and lectured in a handful of schools and institutions. These are St. Peter’s High School, GTTI, International Business College, Insight Training Centre and of course IPAM. I graduated from the Fourah Bay College and I hold a BSc in Economics. I am an ACCA part qualified I completed the first stage of ACCA. I am married to a very beautiful lady and have one daughter with me here in The Gambia. Most importantly my daughter was born in The Gambia.

EIG: What do you depend on as your principal job seems so smooth?

Med Fornah:I depend on God. By nature I am a disciplinarian though not an idealist. I am a just disciplinarian, which has helped my staff and students to understand thus no problem but hard work.

EIG: When did you head IPAM?

Med Fornah: I actually came to IPAM in 2006 as a lecturer. I was encouraged by the then acting principal, Mr. Sulay Davies to come over. It took me some time to consider the option to leave where I was to come but I finally did. Within few months of hard work, I was asked to serve as one of the members in a five-man-management team, formed to man the affairs of the school when the then acting principal; decided to resign. Following a series of development, I was eventually asked by the Board of IPAM to effectively take over as principal and run the institute some time late 2007, and hence forth I have been functioning as such.

EIG: Is it an easy or challenging job?

Med Fornah: It is actually a challenging job but very interesting and sometimes stressful. Well, as principal of IPAM I have come to realize that you carry the hopes, dreams and expectations of so many people with diverse background in society. That is the extent to which the job is challenging.

EIG: Which regime in your view is better, yours or the previous?

Med Fornah: To a large extent I believe but I want to leave that judgment to the people whose lives I have impacted upon since I became principal.

EIG: Are there negative aspects of the job at IPAM?

Med Fornah: Naturally! But on the whole the positive aspect of the job far outweighs the negative aspect.

EIG: Let us move a bit to intake, how do you get students coming to IPAM?

Med Fornah: We engage the services of professional media houses especially the electronic media by advertising. However, we also believe that if you do your job to the expectation of customers you get the right rewards in this regard there are many cases where new students are brought to us by people who have passed through us. The fact is that we don’t engage in massive or aggressive advertising just for the sake of it rather we try to do our hob right by making sure that people who for a variety of reasons decide to come to us receive the services that they should get. We know that lecturing effectively is another marketing strategy this is why my able team of lecturers with vast experience, always go the extra mile in ensuring that student desires and aspirations are fully met when at IPAM.

EIG: Do your students register success in their external exams?

Med Fornah: We are growing from strength to strength in terms of academic out put and performance that can be shown from recent exams. IPAM is synonymous to success and it’s open to everybody. I want to seize this opportunity to appeal to the public to recognize the immense opportunity that IPAM has in store in terms of professional education thus to take full advantage of it.

EIG: What do you offer to students?

Med Fornah: We offer a range of programmes from Management to Accountancy as well as secretariat and even ‘A’ level Law, as well as Banking and Finance. We are also considering the possibility of including in our package those that are preparing for the private WASSCE Exams. Admission starts this June, people can always come at our premises located at No. 69 Kombo Sillah Drive, Church Hill’s Town and pick up a brochure as well as ask for more information to any time from Monday to Saturday between of 9am to 7pm. This is for the elderly, the young and those willing to learn, there is no limit in education.

EIG: Do your students do well at their work places after their studies at IPAM?

Med Fornah:  Well, of course! Since I became principal I have never received complaints or concerns of mediocre performance of people we have trained from their employers. Our students get employment immediately after their training both in the public and private sectors. Example, George P. Gomez was trained with us and he is now working with Standard Chartered Bank including a host of others in diverse positions in and out of the country. There are so many classic cases. We also have some security personnel, including the military, police and immigration doing different courses at IPAM. We have people from other departments from the civil service and more.

EIG: How do you think IPAM would be in 5 years from now?

Med Fornah: Now, giving the very conducive environment that exists, that is politically, socially and economically in The Gambia, I think IPAM will be the centre of excellence and a place everyone longing for progress in life would be. There is no doubt! Students should keep coming then we shall see what happens in the next two years before the five years in question.

EIG: How can you rate IPAM to other institutions in the country?

Med Fornah: I don’t believe in blowing my own horn but it is evident that IPAM is a class ‘A’ rated institution in The Gambia with lots of potential and benefit on offer for the people of The Gambia, there is no doubt that IPAM is the centre of excellence, a learning place of course, most importantly, the place to be if you are looking for quality and professional education.

EIG: Could please advice non students?

Med Fornah: My advice to people who are not engaged with us at the moment is for them to take the opportunity and make it a priority to come over to IPAM. IPAM has what it takes to transform and differentiate them so that they can become useful and employable in the society. A lot of people have seen their lives changed after engaging with IPAM so you are no exception. We are here for everybody; we can make it work for you, just like we’ve done for others.

EIG: Any advice to your ongoing students?

Med Fornah: As usual I advise them to be focused, responsible and ignore distractions, there is always a price to be paid if one becomes negligent. So it is clear that they should take charge of their destiny, by working very, very hard and to always be honest in dealing with others. Success does not come cheap! It takes a lot of hard work, resources and sometimes pain to achieve success, I always let them know that.

EIG: Do you have hobbies?

Med Fornah: In my quiet moments I like watching or listening to international news as I am very much interested in things happening around the globe. I also love football and I am a passionate supporter of ARSENAL FC in UK. I read all the time, almost everything about life.

EIG: Is there any important thing that you think I would have asked that I did not ask?

Med Fornah:Yes! I want to say that the competition is very strong as there are so many schools in the market but of course there’s always a difference between the men and the boys.

EIG: Any final words?

Med Fornah:On behalf of the proprietor, the Board, management and staff of Institute for Professional Administrative Management, I want to take this opportunity to that his Excellency Dr. Alhajie Yayah AJJ Jammeh, president of the Republic of The Gambia for providing us with the enabling and a very excellent environment. We are thankful and pledge to support and contribute to his very noble vision for this nation. I thank all our potential students especially the school leavers and adults who want to take the private WASSCE, our admirers and friends of IPAM. Come and join us and be happy in life. IPAM is a place for you to be.

EIG: I thank you for all you said in this interview.

Med Fornah:You are welcome; I look forward to seeing you again.

An educated society can be said to be a society on the road to progress and enlightenment. Education, they say, is the highway to success and there is no gainsaying in this.

At this time, when efforts continue to be employed to make education not only available and accessible but affordable to all, the decision by Lamin Institute for Professional Studies (LIPS) to grant 100 scholarships to needy and deserving students can only be said to be laudable and welcome.

LIPS’ idea to award scholarship to students to pursue courses in many fields of study is timely, exemplary and worth emulation. Daniel Osagie, the Director of the institute, told The Point that, “ The decision to award scholarships to needy and deserving students to sharpen their tools not only to power them but to enable them contribute meaningfully to positive national growth was borne out his institution’s desire to empower people.”

This is a true contribution to nation building. Often in this country we have heard from government of the need for the private sector to step up to the plate and contribute to socio-economic development. With their gesture, LIPS has done just that. Only through the empowerment of education can we move the country forward. An educated population is a powerful one. Nobody can take easy advantage of the educated person because their eyes have been open to the world and its ways. What must now be ensured is that those young people who qualify with a good education, like those who will benefit from the LIPS scholarships, can be brought to stay in The Gambia.

What good is an excellent qualification if one is still doomed to the ranks of the unemployed when one receives it? Our brightest minds can often have flight to Europe or America to the forefront in their minds as they leave the gates of the institute they studied in with their qualification in their hand. We must stop the brain drain. In collaborating with the government to ensure an educated population, LIPS has earned the respect of many. In fostering a climate where educated young people feel they can stay, the government will earn the respect of many more. 

The Foundation Go For Africa from Holland recently donated a high tech car and a number of bicycles to The Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI) at a ceremony held in the school grounds.

In his handing over remarks the Director of Go For Africa Foundation, Mr. Jan Huizinga, said the ultimate aim of the foundation is to assist in the health and education sectors by complimenting Government efforts. They do this by providing requisite materials especially in the area of skills training.

According to him, the car donated to the GTTI automotive section is modern technology and the students can use it as a reference when it comes to practicals.

He added that the foundation automotive experts will stay for three weeks to give support and advice to the students. He urged the beneficiaries to make the best use of the machine, as it will go a long way towards solving some of the challenges faced by the students.

In receiving the car the Director of GTTI, Mrs. Fatou Mbai, said that GTTI is a subvented institute and through beneficial partnership supplements government efforts with institutions and NGO’s from abroad.

According to her, since they partnered with the Go For Africa Foundation they have benefited significantly and have received computers, electronics and other equipment for the automotive section. She thanked Mr. Jan Huizinga and commended Go For Africa for their laudable gestures and assured them that all the equipment and materials will be used for their purposes.

For his part, the head of the automotive section, Mr. Malick Faal, expressed his gratitude to the Go For Africa Foundation adding that the donated machines will help in his area.

Mr. Alhagie Saho, the link coordinator, said the foundation is out to assist needy institutions and highlighted some of the achievements of the foundation.

They have assisted the National Library, Little Children Academic School in Bakoteh, Kaur and Kuntaur Health Centres to name but a few. He urged them to take care of the materials and make the best use of them.

Lamin Institute of Professional Studies (LIPS) has appointed Mr. Abraham Carvalho as the new Acting Manager of the centre.
 
Mr. Carvalho was appointed to this prestigious position a fortnight ago and it is hoped that his appointment will go a long way towards enhancing the institute’s already excellent reputation.

In another development, Mrs. Blessing Osagie has been appointed by the Board of Directors to serve as the Director of Administration for both branches of LIPS in Lamin and Brikama.

Speaking in an interview with The Point, the Managing Director of LIPS, Mr. Daniel Osagie, enthused that this latest development is not only expected to raise the institute to a higher plain of educational excellence but it is also unprecedented, in that LIPS is the only institution of its kind that has appointed a Gambian as a manager.

“We are poised for an explosion of growth in the coming months and years as we continue to be joined by highly qualified and experienced people on the institute’s staff,” he said.

With a highly competitive fee structure, a convivial learning environment and a wide range of courses in various pertinent subjects, LIPS is fully certified by the National Training Authority (NTA).  
 

Alieu K Jarju, Head of the Information Technology unit at the Management Development Institute (MDI), has now been appointed as the Acting Director General of the institute replacing Juka Jabang who recently got an international appointment with African Development Bank (ADB).

Mr Jarju was the Deputy Director General and Head of Computer Department before his new appointment as Acting Director General of the Institute. His appointment will also see him serve in the University of The Gambia Senate.

Mr Jarju has been running Communication Technology and other ICT related courses at the UTG. He is currently planning to pursue his PhD in E-learning at Assumption University in Thailand.

Mr Jarnu has been running communication technology and other ICT related courses at the UTG. He is a computer statistician by profession. His areas of specialization are in E- learning with a specialist emphasis on computer system management. He obtained MSc in Information and Knowledge Management from Lough Brough University UK. He has also secured Diploma and other certificates.

Commenting on the appointment of Alieu Jarju, Benedict Jammeh, Inspector General of Police said: “I am delighted for his appointment. He is fit for the postion he lectured me on IT when I was a student at MDI. He referred to Mr Jarju as an exemplary person who has devoted most of his time on training people. Katim Touray, Managing Director of Gamtel, pointed out that Mr Jarju deserves his new appointment. He said he knew Mr Jarju when he was doing his Masters Degree in Information Technology in the United Kingdom.

He added that Mr Jarju has a good public relation and has encouraged many Gambians who were studying in UK to come home for national development. “Jarju is very committed to his work and I know he will live up to expectations. 

Also speaking on Mr Jarju’s appointment is Alieu Darboe of ActionAid described Mr Jarju as a dedicated person and a wonderful member of the MDI Community, he supports the positive development of MDI as an institution and the students in particular. He pointed out that the welfare of students is his priority therefore congratulated him on his new job.

Dr Tamsir Mbowe, Secretary of State for Health and Social Welfare said, “I know AK Jarju as a journalist way back in our school days at Muslim High School. He is a hardworking, determine gentleman who can drain water from a rock. I believed that he will improve on lots of things at MDI as I have no doubt on his capability and ability to manage MDI”.

SoS Mbowe said with the coming of Mr Jarju as Acting Director General, there will be mass improvement and hopefully all Gambians will benefit from his appointment. “Jarju,” he added, “if given the maximum support by the staff of MDI, I am sure he will deliver. I was very pleased when I heard of his appointment”.

Muhammad Jah, Managing Director of QuantumNet said, Mr Jarju has the qualifications to manage MDI, as he has the right mindset and he is fit for the post.

Gibril Chorr, Managing Director Quantum Associates said, “ I know Jarju as a man of integrity. He has made the pursuit of knowledge a passion and I am convinced that this opportunity will benefit himself, MDI and the country. My expectations of him are very high but I believed he will measure up to expectations”.

Dr Sasi Ndure, Coordinator of Management Development Studies, also acknowledged the competence of Mr Jarju. He said all what they need is to give support to him, so that he will be able to transform MDI into a better learning centre, can be achieved. He noted that human capacity building programme that MDI is involved in will help the country’s human resource development which is in line with Vision 2020.

Juka Jabang, ex-Director General of MDI said, “I think he deserve it. He has been a very hardworking officer even well before we meet at MDI. He works with me at Statistic, he is competent and has the knowledge to manage MDI. I believed he can take care of the management of MDI as he has been working there for a long time. I know he will get the cooperation of the staff.”

Lamin Sam Jaiteh, Registrar at UTG, said Mr Jarju is suited for the job as he was assisting the former DG on the management of MDI. “His qualifications and competency cannot be questioned. He has good human approach and a close relation with the sister institutions in development. He is a person that advocates for the capacity building of the people which is of national interest. He is a person who one can built an absolute trust in.”

Dr Modou Jean said, “Well, as you know we are trying to move and integrate all tertiary institutions to be part of the UTG and he has been very effective, supportive and hardworking. He is helpful to the university and is an excellent person who has been so cooperative. He has worked relentlessly with all other institutions.

He gave us more classrooms at MDI and I think if he is assisted by the staff of MDI, he will definitely turn MDI to higher heights.  He is a person that has the welfare of the people at heart and has concerns for students who are pursuing various courses.”

Barely few weeks after assuming the mantle of leadership at the Lamin Institute of Professional Studies (LIPS), Mrs. Blessing Osagie, a Nigerian-born academician, has spoken of her sheer desire to transform LIPS into an enviable first-class training institute in The Gambia.

In an interview with this paper, the newly-appointed Principal of LIPS said that she is poised to work hand in glove with the lecturers of LIPS to ensure quality never drop at the institute.

“LIPS will spare no effort in empowering Gambian youths with sound entrepreneurial skills to enable them contribute meaningfully towards nation building,” said Mrs. Osagie.

According to her, plans are underway for LIPS to launch new innovative packages in a bid to make the institute more responsive to the training needs of Gambians and other nationals resident in The Gambia.