Chairman Abdoulie Touray’s speech at UTG 4th Convocation

Your Excellency, Chancellor and President of The Republic – Alhagi Dr. Yahya AJJ Jammeh

Your Excellency, The Vice President of The Republic, Dr. Aja Isatou Njie Saidy

Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly

Hon. Lord Chief Justice of The Gambia

Hon. Secretary of State for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology

Other Secretaries of State Here Present

Honourable Members of The National Assembly

Secretary General and Head of Civil Service

Service chiefs, Governor of CBG, Registrar – WAEC, Permanent Secretaries, Managing Directors

Your Excellencies, Members of The Diplomatic and Consular Corp

Members of the University Governing Council

The Vice-Chancellor and Members of Senate

Venerable Religious Leaders

Distinguished Invited Scholars

Staff and Students of The University

Members of The Media

Distinguished Invited Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

It is my privilege and distinct pleasure, as the Chairman of the Governing Council of the University of The Gambia, to welcome you all to this historic occasion in the educational development of our country.

This is yet another historic milestone for all of us, for the University and especially also for the graduating students. Accordingly, I take delight in thanking you all for responding promptly to our invitation to attend this historic function.

I particularly wish to welcome our Chancellor, the President of the Republic H.E. Dr. Yahya A.J.J Jammeh, the Vice President Dr. Ajaratou Isatou Njie-Saidy, the Honourable Secretary of State for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology and distinguished eminent scholars who travelled long distances to be here with us. Your presence lends credence and support to the University of The Gambia’s ideals and to the principles and values that inspire its mission, at a time when the institution must respond to the challenges facing this country in the field of higher education.

Your Excellency and Chancellor of the University, I wish to reaffirm our commitment and unalloyed support as a Governing Council towards your relentless crusade in the development of the human resource base of this country.

In solidarity to your cause, we are equally poised to create the kind of human resource that has the knowledge and tenacity to usher in the era of economic liberalization and prosperity for all our citizens.

We are committed and dedicated to the sustainable development of an emerging excellent university, characterised by a deep sense of a caring and sharing in a community spirit.

As the Founding Father and Chancellor of the University of the Gambia, you have remained steadfast, selfless and uncompromisingly passionate in ensuring that this citadel of higher learning continues to grow from strength to strength.  We at the UTG, are therefore poised to support your vision of engendering a University that would stand the test of time.  A World Class University that would represent a symbol of excellence in all its manifestations.  A university that would honour, nurture and cherish the vision of the founding Father and hold the dream and faith of its student body, faculty, alumni and the community.

We have come a long way, but the best is yet to come.  We have so far achieved the following milestones:

- Graduated 657 students as at date and over 300 under the UEP

- Graduated 23 medical doctors

- Started a faculty of law programme

- facilitated a computer and information technology programme in partnership with QuantumNet Institute of Technology and Saint Mary’s University of Canada

- Started a home grown Masters Programme in African History

- Commenced a Masters programme in public health in partnership with Leeds Metropolitan University of the United Kingdom

- Awarded professorship to two of our faculty members namely Professor Steigen and Awosoon

- Promoted the Gambia’s very own Dr. Ousman Nyan as Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of The Gambia

Awarded our own Honorary Doctorate Degrees to the Founder, Chancellor and President of the Republic of the Gambia Dr. Alhaji Yahya A.J.J Jammeh, to Professor Ozmon of St. Mary’s University and Her Excellency Dr. Aja Isatou Njie-Saidy.

It should be understood from this list of accomplishment that the UTG is on the road to greatness.  It is said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. The New Year message from your Excellency that the Foundation stone for the UTG campus would be laid this year is indeed most heartening and serve as a source of inspiration to the university community.

We applaud you for your pragmatism and strategic focus.

The UTG as a public university like all public universities strive to deliver quality education that is accessible, affordable and relevant to the development aspirations of its community and the World at large.  In that regard our strategic plan is to:

Increase student access to and success from UTG;

2) Attract, motivate, retain, develop and sustain a highly effective faculty;

3) Create and sustain a physical environment that support teaching, learning and research in a state of the art campus; and

4) Enhance community engagement in the university both locally and internationally.

The UTG takes great pride in having a student community that is passionate about learning and possess a deep sense of belonging, discipline to be the very best both in character and learning, hence some of them have begun to make their mark on the sands of time.  The UTG continues to develop an outstanding faculty of committed and dedicated corp of professors, lecturers and administrator, who should be patriotic, genuine and sincere and possess the intellectual capital and the depository reservoir of knowledge to impact on students; as well as have the capacity to conduct research as an integral part of their constant quest for innovation and creativity in an ever-changing World.  These characteristics and virtues emboldened both words and deeds are supported 360 degrees by an unwavering Vice Chancellor, Deputy Vice Chancellor our line Department of State for Higher Education Research and Technology with the pipeline support of the Department of State for Basic and Secondary Education. The UTG under the

Chancellorship of your Excellency cannot but represent the pinnacle of success and achievement in building a critical mass of highly trained and committed knowledge professionals aimed at transforming the socio-economic landscape of The Gambia by the Vision year 2020.

Your Excellency’s New Year’s statement calling on Government Departments to develop strategic plans deserve our commendation. The UTG has developed an Integrated Strategic plan, which as a living document, like all plans, should take stock of where you are, where you want to go and how to get there, it should be able to ask the following questions i.e. why, how, what, who, when, and where. It shall establish timelines, benchmarks and milestones.

The UTG's immediate plan is to complete the systematic integration process of tertiary institution; and to start the process of building our Academic Village, which I wish to repeat for emphasis, since the leadership policy direction to the effect has already been given.  It was Peter Drucker, a management guru that said "leadership is about doing the right things and management is about doing things right".

It is also posited "that we do not plan to fail but we fail to plan". I am positive that the SOS for Higher Education Honourable Abdoulie Sallah and his able team will find willing collaborators from his predecessor at Higher Education and now SOS for Foreign Affairs in Honourable Crispin Grey-Johnson in mobilising external resources from development partners at the bilateral level, likewise my predecessor as Chairman of the Governing Council of UTG and now SOS for Finance and Economic Affairs Honourable Musa Balla-Gaye will canvass for and provide the domestic resources and multilateral financing required for the construction of Academic Village cum UTG Campus at Faraba.

Mr. Chancellor, due to the liberalized global economy, the conduct of University business has assumed a business dimension where financial sustainability is the order of the day. As a result, certain methods aimed at achieving financial sustainability such as the review of fees and the admission of more foreign students have come up for serious consideration.

Another dimension of the whole problem is the nexus between educational quality and its cost and the proportion of the cost or unit and resource to be provided by the public, and the amount to be borne by students as fees. Each of these issues has complex implications, both immediate and long term for students, University authorities, parents/guardians and society at large.

The model of success for most universities are predicated on endowments from public and private institutions and philanthropists, a revolving student loan scheme, a scholarship fund for elite students, and an alumni community that gives back to its alma mater.  It is said that "you make a living from what you earn but you make a life from what you give".  Let us all resolve to emulate the Chancellor and embrace the University and bequeath a lasting legacy for generations to come.

Notwithstanding this seemingly insurmountable challenge, it is about time for all stakeholders to think deeply about the University as it is today and as it should be in the future. As stipulated in the University vision statement, the heroic and defining aspiration carries heavy obligations which require judgments as to what constitutes excellence in teaching, research as well as service, which is by no means, a simple task. It requires us to make choices influenced by our strengths and challenges, present interests and future opportunities of the University of The Gambia.

There is no doubt that the core functions of UTG are teaching, promotion of knowledge or research and service. In a bid to strengthen the research capacity of the University, negotiations have reached an advanced stage with the World Bank for the provision of a research fund to the tune of six million Dalasi. However, to ensure efficient and effective execution of research activities, there is need to follow modern trends in teaching and pedagogy as well as to acquire modern equipment, library facilities and an internet WIMAX state of the art campus. If we are striving for excellence, then we need to go beyond what we have done so far and build the future together.

As these challenges are addressed, UTG, as an institution, will move from current achievements to the pursuit of international excellence. Despite exacting moments in the recent past, I believe that Council and management have the capacity to achieve our goal of delivering to The Gambia a world-class University. The need to create an excellent best educational hub in the world for the training of society’s leaders in all fields of endeavour must be encouraged and sustained. That dream will include a world-class faculty, cutting-edge technology, good technical and management systems, topmost rated programmes and state-of-the-art infrastructure. I know that that dream will be realised sooner rather than later.

To the graduands, as you leave the walls of this University, remember that we have now accepted you into the fold of alumni members of UTG.

We are saying to the whole world that you have met some minimum requirements and that you are capable of performing at a certain level. This means that wherever you find yourself, you need to put in your optimum performance and because society expects so much from you, you need to be aware of this and excel in all your endeavours. Be good ambassadors of the University and maintain a positive mindset and have positive energy.

Our attitude determines our aptitude that is the difference between development and underdevelopment.

Today should not mark the end of your education. Continue to read because we all believe that the book is still the greatest man made machine of all times. Remember to serve your country in whatever capacity you find yourself and the fact that your education has been made possible by the sweat and toil of those who graduated before you and many others. In the same way, you also need to serve your country and contribute your quota to ensure that others can graduate after you. This way, you would have all contributed to the development of The Gambia.

Finally, don’t be afraid of taking risks or of being criticised "If you don’t want to be criticised don’t say anything, do anything, or be anything."  Don’t be afraid of failing.  It’s the way you learn to do things right.  It doesn’t matter how many times you fall down.   What matters is how many times you get up.

And don’t wait for everybody else before you to do something.  It’s always a few people who get things done and keep things going.  This country needs wise and courageous shepherds and fewer sheep.  Theodore Roosevelt’s statement: "It’s not the critic who counts.  Not the man who points out where the strong man stumbled or where the doer of great deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.  Whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood.  Who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again.  And who, while daring greatly, spends himself in a worthy cause so that his place may not be among those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

Replace cynicism with optimism. Keep up your enthusiasm but remember that it will not be easy. When you have done these things, leave the rest to the Almighty Allah because He will direct your steps.

I thank you all for your kind attention and goodwill.