Charles Fowlis SSS holds graduation

Charles Fowlis Senior Secondary School on Friday held its 9th graduation ceremony at the school’s grounds in Kanifing bringing together students, teachers, parents and sponsors.

In his remarks on the occasion, Daniel Emezie, principal of the school, said that in its pursuit of providing good education to students, the school leaves no stone unturned in recruiting good teachers and constantly improving on the present infrastructure of the school.

The school has introduced reinforcement classes or study sessions, which has enabled the students to have two extra hours a day from Monday to Thursday, Mr Emezie said.

Education is not a privilege but a right, which the school is very much aware of, he said, adding that the school currently has an enrolment of 475 students and 24 staff members.

The institution is a window of opportunity where students are helped to realise and fully develop their potential. This was the vision of the founder of the school, the late Charles Fowlis, a well known educationist.

One of the challenges they face is collection of school fees, Mr Emezie noted, saying: “This is a private school, the payment of teachers’ salaries, meeting the day-to-day running cost of the school and all the development projects depend on the school fees that we collect.”

The guest speaker for the occasion, Emanuel Daniel Joof, in his remarks, said things have changed in The Gambia for the better as many institutions of learning are being established in the country.

Parents, he added, are also willing to invest more in the education of their children.

Despite the increase in the number of schools, it is a fact today that a good number of students refuse to take their studies seriously, Mr Joof said.

He noted: “What goes hand in hand with education, however, is discipline in order to excel in whatever you do in life and that acquiring good education requires you to study hard, which also involves discipline.

He said further: “To study hard requires you to forgo and deprive yourselves of pleasures, like going to your vous to drink attaya everyday and involve in idle talk, watching TV all the time or meeting your friends to smoke cannabis and engage in other vices, etc.” 

He also advised the graduands, as well as the grade nine students, to choose a good career path in their educational pursuit. To do so, students must at least have a goal, aspire to be someone with a profession, and strive towards achieving desired goals in life.