Gambian author says Gambia needs ‘reading framework' to improve literacy rate

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By Amadou Manneh


Modou Lamin Age-almusaf Sowe, a Gambian author , said the  Gambia should conduct a national teachers' competency tests for teachers and also develop reading framework for the students.


“We have been doing very well in internal and external examinations, but there is  need to conduct a national teachers' competency test every 5 years and lay off teachers who are not fit enough to remain in the teaching system,” he remarked.


He said that those who pass the test should have a salary increment, and those who fail the test can be compensated and work on improving themselves. He made these remrks in a telephone interview with The Outpost Media over the weekend.


According to him this will improve the country’s literacy status and its education system.


The Gambia has, according to UNESCO, a literacy rate of 50.78%, while the male literacy rate is 61.77%, and the female literacy rate is 41.58%, showing a big gap between the sexes.


“This means that there are more males literate in the Gambia than females,”  he said


The international literacy day celebration was held on September  8th 2023. The theme for  this year’s celebration is ‘Promoting literacy for a world in transition: Building the foundation for sustainable and peaceful societies’.


Sowe said: “here is a huge gap in terms of advocacy, capacity building, and promoting relevant and quality education that matches modern learning needs,” he said.


He added  that the COVID-19 was a perfect example and an indicator of how unprepared our education sector had been reeling in terms of aligning our curriculum with modern learning and teaching methods.


He further called for the promotion of reading in junior secondary schools and the promotion  and preservation of local languages as a way of promoting non-formal education.


“We have a national problem of readership in this country,” he argued.

 

Sowe pays tribute to Dr. Lenrie Peters, Dr. Ralphina Almeida, Dr. Cherno Omar Barry, Prof. Pierre Gomez, teachers, scholars, and writers on the occasion.


Mr. Sowe wrote and published: “Don’t Judge the Book by the Cover, The Throne of the Ghost, The Memories of Reflection , and AfriKa Not AfriCa,”.

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