Kombo East District Youth and Children Development Association (KEYDA), education sub-committee in partnership with Kaira Nyining  CCF Program Area of  Kombo East  in collaboration with stakeholders  recently concluded a month long summer classes in five centres of the Kombo East Disrict namely Mandinaba, Pirang, Faraba and Jiboroh for upper basic school students.

More than 400 students benefited from this goodwill gesture which aimed at keeping students abreast with their education during the summer holidays.

Speaking at the end of the programme, Lamin Darboe, Coordinator of KEYDA said, it is in fulfillment of the youth and children action plan drawn at the second Kombo East Youth and Children Empowerment Forum in 2006. He said KEYDA wants attainment of relevant, quality and accessible education for all and the classes were designed in such a way that the poor and the vulnerable who mostly suffer from marginalization can benefit from it. “Summer classes used to be centered for children from an economically enriched backgrounds, whose parents are highly learned and financially stable mostly around the Greater Banjul Area,” Darboe said

He then commended stakeholders and Kairo Nyining for their untiring efforts in making education affordable for rural students. He urged other institutions to emulate them.

Kawsu Sanno, a teacher, Fatou Gassama, Chairperson of the Kombo East District Youth Committee, Alasana Jarju and Nfally Jarju all of whom expressed similar sentiments on the programme.

The Managing Director of Quantum Associates, Mr. Gibriel Chorr, has echoed his institution’s commitment to joining the march towards the realization of President Jammeh’s Silicon Valley dream of transforming The Gambia into an enviable nation-state.

He added that Quantum Associates would contribute towards the achievement of this lofty dream by providing employable skills to youths of The Gambia to enable them participate meaningfully in national development efforts.

Mr. Chorr was speaking in a graduation ceremony for 18 people that completed training in Quantum’s Summer Class of 2007.

“I was amazed by the level of intelligence and dedication shown by these students whom, as I speak, are in the middle of their projects and, in a few months’ time, we will be parading them as programmers who would have distinguished themselves and developed a profession such that they will not have to work for anyone else and would not go hungry again for the rest of their lives,” he stated.

Mr. Chorr finally expressed delight in the students for the successful completion of their courses as well as commending them for the effort and success.