Dear Editor,
I wish to commend the Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, Hon Habibatou Drammeh, for her thoughtful video message to schoolchildren as they begin the long vacation. Her call on children to behave responsibly, remain vigilant, build positive friendships, and engage in safe and constructive activities is timely and commendable. It is encouraging to see, perhaps for the first time, an education minister delivering a farewell message directly to schoolchildren at the close of the academic year.
Building on this commendable initiative, I wish to offer a few suggestions that could further enrich the minister’s message and make the school holidays even more meaningful for our children.
First, I urge the Ministry to consider organising structured recreational and educational activities for children across the country during the holidays. These could be school-based programmes or initiatives organised in partnership with municipalities, regional administrations, communities, private companies, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders.
Activities could include excursions, exchange visits between schools, cultural and musical festivals, sporting competitions, quiz contests, boat trips, nature treks, picnics, leadership camps, debates, and other educational programmes.
The Gambia is blessed with numerous historical, cultural, traditional, environmental, and institutional sites that many children have never had the opportunity to visit. Holiday programmes that expose children to these places would not only keep them productively engaged and away from harmful influences but would also broaden their knowledge far beyond what is taught in classrooms.
Such experiences help nurture curiosity, patriotism, confidence, leadership, character, and self-esteem. They can inspire children to discover their talents, identify their passions, and develop a stronger sense of purpose and direction for the future.
In light of the above, I wish to draw the minister’s attention to the widespread practice of holiday classes. It has become common for many schools to commence extra classes almost immediately after schools close. In some cases, these classes consume half or even more of the holiday period. More concerning is that they are usually fee-paying, thereby imposing an additional financial burden on parents.
Holiday classes also create inequality among students. Children whose parents cannot afford the extra fees, or those who spend their holidays with relatives in other parts of the country, are placed at a disadvantage. This undermines the principle of equal educational opportunity.
More fundamentally, holidays are an integral part of the education system. They exist for a reason. Children, like adults, need time away from their regular routines to rest, recover, pursue personal interests, strengthen family and social bonds, and engage in activities that contribute to their holistic development. Teachers equally need this period to rest, reflect, and prepare for the next academic year.
If holidays become merely an extension of the school term, we risk overwhelming both students and teachers, diminishing motivation, and ultimately undermining the quality of teaching and learning. Rest is not a luxury but an essential component of effective education. Holidays should therefore remain periods for recreation, personal growth, and informal learning rather than a continuation of formal classroom instruction.
For these reasons, I respectfully urge the Minister to review the growing practice of holiday classes and consider measures that would preserve the true purpose of school holidays while promoting alternative educational and recreational opportunities that benefit all children equally. Summer classes undermine the attainment of enriching and meaningful holidays for children.
Once again, I commend Hon Habibatou Drammeh for her leadership, commitment, and proactive engagement with schoolchildren. I wish all students, teachers, and parents a safe, enjoyable, refreshing, and productive holiday season, and I hope these suggestions will receive due consideration as part of our collective effort to improve the well-being and education of Gambian children.
For The Gambia, Our Homeland.
Madi Jobarteh
Kembujeh