Officials said with support from the World Bank’s Resilience, Inclusion, Skills and Equity (RISE Project), a consultancy was conducted in order to access crèche facilities within the tertiary and higher education institutions and develop a road-map and strategy for establishing crèche services within strategic tertiary and higher education institutions across the country.
The validation ceremony which was held at the ministry conference hall in Bijilo, was designed to improve access, retention, and performance for all, with a special focus on supporting student mothers’, thereby by serving as a cornerstone in their quest to create a fairer, more equitable education system.
Deputising for the minister of Higher Education, Mucktarr M.Y. Darboe, the deputy permanent secretary (Technical) at the said ministry, said the draft Crèche Road-map and Strategy marks a pivotal step in their collective commitment to fostering, nurturing an inclusive environment for the holistic development of children and the empowerment of women in higher and tertiary education in The Gambia.
“The Ministry of Higher Education mission is anchored in structural transformation, particularly in revitalizing the TVET sub-sector. This is geared towards reducing dependency on expatriates, driving economic growth, and promoting critical thinking, innovation, and inclusivity,” he said.
DPS Darboe added: “We also recognize that access to quality post-secondary education must extend beyond classrooms and lecture halls. Therefore, establishing crèche facilities within our tertiary and higher education institutions is not merely a developmental goal but a strategic necessity for advancing equity and inclusion.”
The validation workshop, he went on, provides an invaluable platform for critical reflection, open dialogue, and consensus-building, saying: “It will also allow us to refine the draft Crèche Road-map and Strategy, ensuring that it reflects their shared aspirations and establishes a robust framework for implementation.”
He called on the participants to contribute their expertise, insights, and innovative ideas in order to translate the documents into actionable and impact tools.
Speaking to our reporter in an interview, Dr. Kenneth O. Igharo, the consultant of the project, said: “Currently, there is no Crèche center in the country that will care for babies from zero to three and half year’s maximum. We only have daycare centers that which also need to be streamlined.”
“Therefore, this project which is initiated by MoHERST is designed to cover those gaps to continue with national developments. With this intervention, it is going to guide the government to come up with evidence-based Crèche center policy,” he postulated.
Lamin Fatty, the National Coordinator for Child Protection Alliance (CPA) welcomed the initiative, claiming that “it will have a huge impact in women empowerment and child development.”
