Insight
Training Centre (ITC) has expanded its curriculum and introduced a new course
called ‘Gambian studies’, the principal of the centre has said.
Mr Ismaila Ceesay disclosed this development to the media on Saturday during a press briefing organised to shed more light on the course.
Insight is one of the 16 tertiary institutions in The Gambia chosen to pioneer the Gambian Studies, a new course developed by the Ministry of Higher Education with the support from the National Training Authority.
The course is basically a study of Gambian history, culture, custom and tradition.
Mr Ceesay said the new course is to give students the opportunity to widen their knowledge in the history of The Gambia.
The ‘Gambian studies’ comes in four parts: Gambian history 1900; Gambian history 1965 -1994; Gambian history 1994 to date; and culture of The Gambia.
Mr Cherno Jallow, ITC’s head of journalism department, said the new programme came at the right moment as “it is time that Africans stood to know and write their own culture and history”.
He said many times the Westerners who write the history of Africa distort the image of the continent.
He said the ‘Gambian studies’ would go a long way in helping students to master their own culture, tradition and history.
Alhagie M. Jawo, Insight’s head of academics department, said the programme could not have come at a better time and place “as ITC is a Gambian institution”.
Fatou Samba and Ndey Sogur, both students of ITC, welcomed the introduction of the ‘Gambian studies’ and promised to take advantage of the course to deepen their knowledge of the rich and varied cultures and traditions of The Gambia.
All the 16 institutions chosen to implement the Gambian studies will start to conduct lectures on it by Monday.
