Faraba Banta, The Gambia – For Muhammed Lamin Jallow, a student at the University of The Gambia’s School of Arts and Sciences, getting to class has become a daily struggle. He travels about 40 km (25 miles) from home to the Faraba Banta campus, depending on university buses, to attend lectures. But securing a seat on the bus can be challenging.
Lectures have since resumed after the government promised improvements to campus services. But the students have more demands. They want Vice Chancellor Herbert Robinson and the director of student affairs to resign, accusing both officials of failing to perform their duties.
While the government has announced measures to address some of the concerns, the leadership dispute remains unresolved. The Students’ Union says its concerns affect more than 12,000 students, many of whom depend on university buses to reach campus. Following the protest, Higher Education Minister Professor Pierre Gomez visited the campus with university representatives and officials from the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
In a statement, the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology said the Gambia Transport Service Company had deployed 20 buses to support student transportation. Students have also complained of limited access to safe drinking water and affordable food, as well as unreliable internet connectivity. In response, the ministry promised that cafeterias across the university were ready to serve students and staff, but acknowledged that additional filtration was needed to make campus water safe for drinking.
Water jars and dispensers have been installed at designated points, and the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) had been consulted, it said. On internet access, the ministry said work was under way to extend connectivity to the newly constructed Schools of Agriculture and Law, with completion expected within a week. The proposals are intended to support student access to research materials and other educational resources.
However, the statement did not confirm whether the work had been completed. The ministry said it would continue working with the university, the students’ union and other relevant stakeholders to monitor implementation. The reopening of cafeterias was another demand raised by students, who had complained that their closure made it difficult to find affordable meals on campus.
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