Back and Next - Back and NextWEEKEND editorial, The beach party menace
Friday, February 1, 2008
Extra-curricular activities are a vital part of every educational curriculum. Apart from their relevance in physical body building or health related links, a prudent blend of classroom academic work and extra-curricular activities in the learning process serve as a way of refreshing the learning appetites of young students. This is a subscription to the old adage that: ‘all work but no play makes Jack a dull boy’.
Therefore, the school calendar in The Gambia fittingly provided room for various sporting activities in its school calender. Prominent among these is the school inter-house athletics competition. It is often held during this very time of the academic calender of schools under the basic and secondary education system.
But this very important school activity has eventually become a nightmare for parents. As events marking the actual track and field activities precede the most popular events among students - beach partying, the menace of drowning remains the greatest threat to our largely unsuspecting youngsters.
Recently, one Abdoulie Ndow was reported missing, purportedly drowned at the Leybato Beach. This lad is said to be a fresh high school graduate, and an amateur swimmer.
Many more students have lost their lives in similar manner. We cannot prevent the inevitable, but it is an undoubtable fact that some of the disasters that befall our society today are preventable. The leaders just have to assume their rightful place, and the same goes for the children.
The issue is so grave that it needs more attention than it gets right now. We, at the Daily Observer, are quite concerned about these incidents and want to appeal for an enforced level of campaign to sensitise students about the risks of going to the beach.
Obviously, there are better ways to celebrate different from taking to the beach only to end what is supposed to be a happy moment on a sad note. The issue needs serious thought for a redress; both at home, at school and at the community level, throughout the country. The collaboration of school principals, and the authorities at the Department of State for Basic and Secondary Education is quite crucial in this regard.
We want to acknowledge, at this juncture, the untiring efforts of the National Patriotic Students’ Association on this and similar burning issues. NAPSA has taken it upon themselves to advise their colleagues to avoid going to the beaches especially during this period, when all schools are on inter-house competitions.
Therefore, the school calendar in The Gambia fittingly provided room for various sporting activities in its school calender. Prominent among these is the school inter-house athletics competition. It is often held during this very time of the academic calender of schools under the basic and secondary education system.
But this very important school activity has eventually become a nightmare for parents. As events marking the actual track and field activities precede the most popular events among students - beach partying, the menace of drowning remains the greatest threat to our largely unsuspecting youngsters.
Recently, one Abdoulie Ndow was reported missing, purportedly drowned at the Leybato Beach. This lad is said to be a fresh high school graduate, and an amateur swimmer.
Many more students have lost their lives in similar manner. We cannot prevent the inevitable, but it is an undoubtable fact that some of the disasters that befall our society today are preventable. The leaders just have to assume their rightful place, and the same goes for the children.
The issue is so grave that it needs more attention than it gets right now. We, at the Daily Observer, are quite concerned about these incidents and want to appeal for an enforced level of campaign to sensitise students about the risks of going to the beach.
Obviously, there are better ways to celebrate different from taking to the beach only to end what is supposed to be a happy moment on a sad note. The issue needs serious thought for a redress; both at home, at school and at the community level, throughout the country. The collaboration of school principals, and the authorities at the Department of State for Basic and Secondary Education is quite crucial in this regard.
We want to acknowledge, at this juncture, the untiring efforts of the National Patriotic Students’ Association on this and similar burning issues. NAPSA has taken it upon themselves to advise their colleagues to avoid going to the beaches especially during this period, when all schools are on inter-house competitions.
Author: DO
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