On the direction of the Vice Chancellor Professor Muhammed Kah, the Gambia mobile unit has been invited to the UTG Brikama campus to issue Biometrics Identification cards to staff and students of the University and the Gambia College.
This is in response to the high demand of the card by UTG staff and students who are unable to join the long queues daily in order to acquire the cards due to long stretched classes and the busy schedules of both the students and staff.
This is also in line with the Vice Chancellor's objectives of providing necessary facilities for both staff and students in the University of the Gambia and the Gambia College.
It is an on-going activity until all the needs of students and staff are met.
Th biometric card is going to help in the identification of students on campus, make travelling easier within and outside the campus and prevent unnecessary security harassment.
The issuing of the card is co-ordinated by the University Relations Office, which is headed by Alh. Gumbo Ali Touray and assisted by Mr. Ansumana Darboe, the former President of the University of the Gambia Student Union.
Bring it on went on an interview with some of the students and these are their reactions toward the conducting of the biometric identification system at the university.
Sait Matty Jaw, a second year student: 'It is a good step towards the right direction because Gambis has given some busy students like me a chance to have a biometric card which is the hottest and latest registration card one could get right now. This will give us the opportunity to become fully registered as Gambians.'
'This is a right move for they are promoting patriotism in the form of creating a biometric card for us. This definitely has reduced the workload for us,' said Nyima Keita enthusiastically.
However one Anthony Mendy, a final year student in the social sciences expressed dismay over the underestimation of the number of students by GAMBIS since they weren't expecting a huge number of students. He is one of the students who have to wait for the following day (today) to register for the cards.
The Biometric identification card is a project to help national development planning.
Abdourahman Touray the Chief Executive Officer, Pristine Consulting has said that the biometric identification system will help for project estimation of 20 years to come, adding that it will also help the government to know the yearly retirement of employees and the number of graduating students per year.
The most interesting thing about the biometric card system is that it will help smoothen the work and reduce the workload for the Immigration Department and greatly curb crime rate in the Gambia.