14/12/2024
A Message to SS MEDIA TV for the Public: Where Is Social Justice for Arabic Students in The Gambia? by Kalifa Fatty (Known as Kal Journalist)
This segment of our society has been excluded from the national agenda, and no one talks about it. My question is: What decisions will be made regarding their future? How long are Arabic students expected to remain mere followers?
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Professor Gomez. For the first time in this country’s history since independence, a policy has been introduced at the higher education level to integrate Madrasas. These students make up 20% of the high school population. Yet, where is social justice? Where is democracy, which claims to ensure fair distribution, when 20% of the population is excluded from the national development agenda?
It wasn’t until Professor Gomez, through the World Bank project, recognized that Madrasas had been sidelined in national development that strategies were developed to include STEM education in these institutions. This initiative aims to produce individuals like Professor Omar Jah and Imam Baba Lee.
As a third-year Arabic student at the Faculty of Sharia and Law, I question whether, after graduating, my Arabic university degree will allow me to work in offices here. While my curriculum includes Sharia courses, we’ve also studied subjects like Introduction to Law, Criminal Law, Administrative Law, Contract Law, Legal Terminology, and Constitutional Law since our first year.
Beyond my studies, I specialize in journalism and work with two major Arabic newspapers in The Gambia: Akhbar Gambia Bel-Arabia and Gambia Cultural Renaissance Newspapers. I am also a student at the Media Academy for Journalism and Communication (MAJaC). This is because I recognize that many Gambians cannot speak or understand English, and access to information is a fundamental right. I see it as my duty to provide citizens with the information they need to make informed decisions about their lives, communities, and governments. Thanks to efforts like these, no one can now mislead Arabic students or Imams in The Gambia—they are fully aware of what is happening in their country.
Even in appointing ambassadors to Arabic countries, why can’t the government select Arabic students to represent The Gambia, as other nations do? One of my mentors shared that a Senegalese graduate from Qatar University is now Senegal’s ambassador to Qatar. Meanwhile, talented Gambians like Professor Alhagi Manta, who now serves globally after being neglected by his own country, and Basedai M. Drammeh, who completed his education in Kuwait and now works for the Kuwaiti embassy in Canada, are overlooked. This is a significant loss for our nation. Others, such as Musa Bah, Professor Omar Jah, and Dr. Alieu SK Manjang, who earned his PhD in Qatar, exemplify the untapped potential within our community.
It is disheartening to hear that even in some embassies, secretarial positions are given to non-Gambians while competent Gambians are overlooked. Arabic-speaking countries respect The Gambia primarily because of our scholars, yet here, Arabic students are often limited to roles as Imams or teachers. This narrative must change.
Arabic students in The Gambia have awakened. As an Arabic journalist, my focus is on Gambian politics, and I report daily.
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