Africa-Press – Gambia. In a move that has been hailed as a significant step forward for educational reform in The Gambia, Internation Idea and partners recently made a remarkable donation to the MoBSE curriculum department.
The donation included 960 copies of the Civic Education Textbook, 16 Syllabus, and 16 Teachers’ Guide for the Upper Basic School level. This generous contribution, made in collaboration with the European Union and the National Human Rights Commission, is set to be piloted in the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education. The move has been met with great enthusiasm, with a potential to make a real difference in promoting civic and human rights education in the country.
Officials announced that the CODE Project, which is funded by the EU, will be officially launched at a ceremony in Banjul.
In another exciting development, officials also announced that an in-house training programme for teachers from eight schools across regions 1 to 6 has been launched. This pilot programme is set to take the education sector by storm!
Ousman Bah, the deputy permanent secretary of administration at MoBSE, provided some fascinating insights into the project’s background. He revealed that the collaboration between the Curriculum Research, Evaluation and Development Directorate (CREDD) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) kicked off in late 2021.
“The goal is to integrate human rights education, active citizenship, and civic engagement into the school curriculum, paving the way for a brighter, more inclusive future in education.”
The British High Commission, working hand-in-hand with the National Human Rights Commission, he added, has taken the brilliant step of supporting the technical auditing of the school curriculum.
“This is a fantastic move as it will identify key entry points for the integration of human rights education. This has led to a fantastic review of the Civic Education syllabus, the adoption of brilliant new textbooks, and the development of an excellent teacher’s guide for the Upper Basic School level. I am thrilled to announce that these documents have now been validated and printed, and are ready for the pilot phase! Today, we are delighted to announce that we have officially handed over these documents.”
Emmanuel Daniel Joof, the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, said: “This is a major step towards mainstreaming civic consciousness and responsible citizenship among our young learners.” Joof said the initiative is the result of a fruitful collaboration between the NHRC and the Curriculum Directorate of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE), with the invaluable support of the European Union through International IDEA.
“Our shared vision is to integrate civic and human rights education into the school curriculum, thereby equipping our students with the knowledge, values, and skills needed to be informed, engaged, and responsible citizens,” he said.
HE Immaculada Roca I Cortes, the EU Ambassador, said a strong civic education empowers students from an early age to recognise their role in shaping society and encourages them to uphold the principles of justice, equality, and the rule of law.
“By embedding these concepts in the foundational years of education, countries can cultivate generations of citizens who are not only knowledgeable but also committed to building a more just, inclusive, and resilient democracy.”
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