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The Best Made Plans of Mice and Men

The postponement of Region Six Teacher of the Year Awards on June 25th was almost my final act in Basse before leaving for the last time. Not that the event was to be cancelled completely but that typical of most events in a Gambian diary it was subject to last minute change. The event had come about because we recognised that morale amongst teachers in region six was very low. Teachers are moved from other regions, made to leave their families behind, and placed in remote areas without transport, electricity or other modern comforts to work for indefinite periods. Typically then they get told off if they do not raise standards, don’t plan properly or if they have a few days off to go and see their families. Indeed in our experience teachers were often at the end of the Director’s tongue lashings for all of these.

The idea of the Teacher of the Year Awards was to raise morale. Money was not involved. This was about recognising achievement. Everyone was excited about it. We went through a nominations process, verifications visits, prepared a rational for each person on the final nominations shortlist, invited honoured guests, prepared the programmes, had certificates printed and I worked with two local choirs to take part in the programme. The date was moved from June 24th to June 25th to allow the Permanent Secretary and the Honourable Minister of Education to attend and I was to run the programme before returning to Banjul to fly home on the 27th.

Then the event was postponed.

This is typical of the Gambia. Early planning means nothing as self interest groups can and often do demand immediate access to information, key members of the Education Ministry and access to policy changes. This time Head Teachers awaiting their graduation from Gambia college and invited to travel from Basse were suddenly delayed by a week when the College postponed their graduation ceremony. Then Waec, the West African Education Certificate group decided to run end of year exams during this week. Head Teachers needed to invigilate exams were attending graduation in Kombo so suddenly others had to be trained. Being at the end of the food chain our Teacher of the Year Awards now had to be changed because the Minister of Education and the Permanent Secretary could not attend. They were required to attend a donor conference planned 72 hours before the event.

This only happens because the Gambia has no strategic year plan. They have numerous plans forced on them by various donors whether they be the World Bank, Unicef or any one of over 50 interest groups who fund education and child development. Every regional office has a three or four year development plan but nobody has a real strategic overview of how each of these plans fit together.

For me this meant that I would not be present at an event I had worked on for a month. I would not see my choirs sing or teachers receiving awards. But then this was not about me and I simply hope that next Friday it is the event which lifts morale and recognises achievement as planned.

As I prepared to leave the Gambia for the final time I was delighted to receive, on behalf of Lynn and I, the Director’s Awards for services rendered to Education in 2010. I am told that the award will be presented to us, in our absence, on Friday July 2nd when the awards ceremony finally takes place. It is and was a very pleasant and unexpected surprise and one which we will take pride in.

This is likely to be our penultimate blog but I will wait for news on the awards before writing about our return to the UK.