63 graduate at Nyodema Nursery

A total number of 63 students recently graduated at Nyodema Nursery school in Manjai Kunda. Speaking at the school's annual speech and graduation ceremony, the headmistress of Nyodema Nursery, Mrs. Mariama Secka Darboe, said that the school was opened in March 1987, adding that March 2010 marks her school's 23 years of existence.

She said her school enrolment for the 2010 academic year is 216 out of which 116 are girls and 100 are boys. She revealed that already 67 students from her school have registered at different lower basic schools within Region One.

Mrs. Darboe said in 1992 her school developed friendship with an NGO based in Belgium, adding that it is that NGO which bought the land for her school, and built the first structures in 1994. She also said that from 1995-1997, the same Belgium NGO brought groups of Belgian teachers to the school to teach various subjects, and in 1998 the same NGO contracted their college teachers to do their teaching practice at her school.

Twelve years now, Mrs. Darboe continued, her school is having student teachers from Belgium. She stated that in 2003, they met with another Belgium organisation called Friends of the Gambia (FOG) who are presently sponsoring students in her school, since 2003. She said FOG is still sponsoring students from her school up to the level of tertiary institutions in the country.

"Since 2003, FOG annually brings a 40-foot container of educational and health items where each sponsored student receives a package from the said container," she added.

She expressed her gratitude to FOG through Patrick for the help they are rendering to her school since 2003, emphasising that the first aid box provided to her school by FOG is very effective in the school, and in the community.

The guest speaker at the ceremony, Mrs. Louise T. Jassey, expressed her profound gratitude to the outgoing students for successfully completing their pre-school programme at Nyodema Nursery.

She also thanked the administration of Nyodema Nursery and the teachers for their hard work and dedication to their duties. She advised the outgoing students to always make their books their immediate friends, noting that parents should also visit the school to know what their children are doing at the school.