Many vocational and skill training centers have been menaced with dislodgement over rent arrears due to the ceaseless lock-down since the outbreak of COVID-19 in The Gambia. The chairman of the National Association of Vocational and Skills Training Institutes (NAVSTI) Mr. Abdoulie Sowe, said almost all the training institutions in the country were ordered to immediately shut down for business since the pronouncement of the first state of public emergency in order to curb the rapid spread of COVID-19.

“Some of the institutions have even been given eviction notices to leave since they could not pay their bills.” Sowe said.

He alluded that the impromptu closure of these vocational and skill centers has negatively impacted them both financially and academically. He counted that over a hundred training institutions across the country have been closed. He warned that if the matter persists, it might lead to the permanent closure of many institutions.

“Majority of the training institutions did not generate any revenues for the past six months knowing they rely solely on school fees to settle their costs and as a result, many can no longer pay the salaries of staff and struggle to cover costs for electricity, rents and operational costs,” he said.

“We have watched with utter dismay the partial or full easing of restrictions for almost all other sectors of the economy. It has been six months until the recent easing of restrictions nothing tangible has been said about the TVET centres.” He emphasised.

The Association equally expressed outrage and disappointment; saying, it felt appalled that the government’s bailout package for educational institutions did not cater for them. Public institutions like GTTI, MDI and The Gambia College are allowed to resume business but they “unfairly left them out”.

 

Demands

“We are urgently calling on the government to provide financial support to all TVET centres to cover cost of operation, pay the salaries of our staff, rents and other operational expenses.

We also want the government to allow TVET institutions to open forthwith for business with immediate effect while observing Ministry of Health’s guidelines.”

By: Fatoumatta Samateh