Hamat Bah Blames African and Asian Governments for Illegal Migration, Citing Failing Educational Systems
By Haddy Jarju
Tourism and Culture Minister, Hamat NK Bah, points fingers at African and Asian governments for the issue of illegal migration, attributing it to the inadequacies in their educational systems. Speaking during President Barrow’s “Meet the People” tour in Illiasa and Sabach Sanjal constituencies, Minister Bah urges a re-evaluation of educational policies in a bid to address the root causes of this perilous migration.
Bah urged the youth to avoid undertaking risky back-way journeys to Europe in search of better opportunities, attributing the root cause to the failure of the educational systems implemented by African and Asian governments. According to him, the lack of a curriculum syllabus dedicated to national development at the time of independence has contributed to the perilous journeys of the youth across the Mediterranean Sea.
“[The] Failed educational system by the African and Asian governments are responsible for illegal migration journey. At the time of independence, we did not have the curriculum syllabus that was meant for national development. Bad educational system is the recipe of our young dying at sea in Asia and Africa,” Minister Bah emphasized.
The minister called on governments in Africa and Asia to reassess their educational policies and make necessary reforms to address the root causes of illegal migration.
He revealed that The Gambia government, under the leadership of President Barrow, has committed to creating 150 thousand jobs to curb this back-way syndrome. He stated that President Barrow recently signed an agreement with the Saudi government during his visit to Saudi Arabia last week, facilitating employment opportunities for Gambians.
Bah further disclosed that key ministries are taking the initiative to train youths on nation-building strategies. “These three institutions are responsible of [for] training youth; the School of Nursing, The Gambia Training Hospitality Institute (GTHI), and the School of Science and Technology. These institutions have taken the responsibility to train Gambian youth on how they [are] supposed to develop this nation,” Bah revealed.
He urged youths to enrol in The Gambia Training Hospitality Institute (GTHI) to gain skills that could secure employment opportunities both within and outside the country, ultimately contributing to the nation’s development.