Today October 5th is being observed as World Teachers Day, a day which since 1994 has been commemorated all over the world to, among others, recognize the good efforts of teachers.
World Teachers Day 2011 is the special occasion for celebrating the vital responsibilities of teachers in offering education to boys and girls, men and women at all stages.
Thus, the international community recognizes that showing appreciation for the good work of teachers is an essential yearly action.
As we mark the day, we wish to congratulate all teachers in The Gambia for their invaluable contribution to nation-building.
We use the opportunity to call on the government to do more for our teachers, especially those serving in remote areas of the country.
We are aware that there are special allowances or pay packages, and efforts being made to provide adequate housing facilities for teachers, especially in remote rural areas.
We encourage the government to keep up the drive to address the many challenges facing our teachers, which we believe should be carefully looked into in order to resolve them.
World Teachers Day was inaugurated in the year 1994 in keeping with UNESCO/ILO recommendations concerned with the status of the teachers, on October 5th, 1966.
For UNESCO, World Teachers Day shows the considerable token of appreciation, awareness and understanding displayed for the crucial contribution which teachers make to development and education.
Once more, on this occasion of World Teachers Day, we thank our teachers for giving us the invaluable guidance and education, which has made us good and productive citizens.
