Jul 2025 DOI 10.14302/issn.2641-4538.jphi-25-5580
Ina Grant Sagnia PhebianCorresponding author
Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) is a school-based intervention aimed at correcting misinformation surrounding sexual education among youth, often influenced by social media, peer groups and misleading online content. In The Gambia, the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education has developed and introduced a national framework to integrate CSE from Grade 4 (primary school level) to Grade 12 (senior secondary school level). This study explores the perceptions and recommendations of 50 secondary school teachers from 43 public and private schools in Region 1 on the implementation of CSE in schools. While some teachers expressed concerns that CSE might promote perverted and lewd early sexual behavior, others saw it as essential for increased awareness and youth well-being. Cultural, religious, and societal norms pose significant implementation barriers towards the implementation of CSE in schools. Teachers’ insights are vital for successful CSE delivery and educational strategy improvements.
Dec 2020 DOI 10.14302/issn.2639-3166.jar-20-3318
K. Ceesay EbrimaCorresponding author
University of Gambia, Banjul, Gambia
For economic growth and development in any WE African country the GDP progress is depending on the key push-pull factors as migration, personal remittances received, bilateral aids and, absolutely, employment in agriculture which is about 1/3 of the population and not a predominant and protected minority as happens in the industrialized EU and North America. In order to represent the framework of the reciprocal dependencies the present study used the statistics of Gambia from WDI covering the periods from 1960 to 2017 by applying linear regression models. The results confirmed that migration and remittances have significant positive impact on employment in agriculture because new investment in agriculture created new skilled and unskilled employment. The results also found out that employment in agriculture has negative and significant impacts on foreign aids: 10% increase in migration, increases foreign aid by 50.3%. Increasing 10% of remittance, increase economic growth by 0.14% but 10% increases in employment in agriculture, decrease economic growth by 0.04%. To face globalization the economy of the Gambia should use the foreign aid to improve agriculture production and productivity thereby increase economic growth through human capital theory of migration, skilled migration, export and food security, the study recommends.
Nov 2018 DOI 10.14302/issn.2324-7339.jcrhap-18-2291
Muhammed Bah YahyaCorresponding author
University of The Gambia, School of Arts and Sciences, Brikama Campus, The Gambia, West Africa
In The Gambia like all nations, drug abuse is seen as a social and health problem that has many serious implications for the physical, social, psychological and intellectual development of the victims more especially, the children. Therefore, it continues to be a concern to families, community leaders, educators, social workers, health care professionals, academics, government and its development partners. Though there are some studies on drug abuse, there is none on children and drug abuse focusing on the street children the most vulnerable category. Street children are hypothesized to be more at risk of any epidemic including drug abuse. This study sought to determine the risk and prevalence of drug abuse among street children focusing on those in the car parks. The research was focused on six critical areas: level of knowledge of drug abuse, perception towards it, level of knowledge of the causes of it in the community and among street children, level of knowledge of negative impacts of it, level of knowledge of the preventive methods; and level of knowledge of the support services and treatments needed by victims. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data from thirty five participants (i.e. one driver and six casual apprentices from each of the five car parks) were interviewed. The data was presented and analyzed using tables and percentage. The findings revealed among other things, that there is high level of awareness of drug abuse but the feelings towards it are mixed. Like other children, street children are abusing drugs mainly due to peer influence with the ultimate objective of getting high to relief stress, group recognition, desire to be trusted by peers, etc. Similarly, participants are highly aware of the negative impacts encompassing fighting, stealing, mental illness, etc. To finance the behavior, victims are engaged in all types of dangerous antisocial behavior including romantic ones exposing them to a range of diseases including STIs and HIV/AIDS. Marijuana is the most commonly abused drug. Though in the minority, some have started experimenting cocaine/coke, hashish; and heroin. While participants have good knowledge of the critical methods to fight drug abuse, the support services needed by victims, victims are mostly reluctant to seek the services not only because they are hard to find but fear societal stigmatization, exclusion and discrimination and professionals’ maltreatments.