Students at the University of The Gambia, who are being sponsored by the government through the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (MoHERST), have bitterly lamented what they term as neglect and total lack of concern by the authorities for their studies, as they once again helplessly wait as courses get filled while lectures also proceed.
Course registration began since last week Wednesday as the academic year officially opened on September 1st. Lectures have been ongoing since Monday this week.
However, these students on government scholarship, from freshers to final year students, relay that they remain uncleared for course registration on their student portals.
The UTG being a state or public university, one would expect that students under government scholarship will be the first or among the very first priorities.
However, students say that is not the case. The paradox, as one struggles to put it, is that “students under government scholarship are always the last to be cleared, and that has historically been the norm”.
Meanwhile, this reporter covered the university students’ protest on the 9th of December in 2024, led by former president Nyaninka Manjang and late vice president Yunusa Mbye of the students’ union. The perennial government scholarship issue featured into one of the students’ demands during the protest, having previously been highlighted, among others, in an earlier discussion with the MoHERST in September 2024.
Manjang demanded: “We call for the prompt clearance of government-sponsored students who have been unable to register, collect their attestations or obtain their certificates due to administrative delays. Many students and alumni have been affected, and we demand that their clearance be processed to avoid any unnecessary disruptions in their academic progress.”
However, students say the status quo remains until today. Adama Njie, a final year student laments how they face this ordeal the beginning of every semester.
“Why always us?” Adama asked. “Every time we approach the accounts office. Today, I was there at Kanifing to submit my award letter, but the accounts officer told me they are not clearing MoHERST scholarship beneficiaries. At this point, I thought of the freshers and not myself, because for me, I can attend classes up to the last days of the deadline without registering and my courses will not be full due to my level. I am registering only 300 level [third year] and 400 level [fourth year] courses, which are usually not full to capacity. But for freshers, they are always at risk when the accounts office fails to clear them on time. Because of these frustrations, some freshers will even go pay for themselves just to register their desired courses on time. The university management and MoHERST should resolve this common problem permanently to avoid unnecessary delays of students learning and frustrations.”
Muhammed, another student, highlighted that the delay in clearing government scholarship beneficiaries is not a new phenomenon but “a recurring problem that puts students under unnecessary stress every academic year”.
“Many of us depend entirely on the scholarship,” he said, “because we cannot afford to pay fees upfront. So, when clearance is delayed, we end up missing classes, risking late registration fines and living in uncertainty until the last minute. It is really disappointing that students who are supposed to be supported by government end up being the last to be cleared at a public university like UTG. This issue needs permanent attention, not just yearly interventions.”
For one Amadou, a fresher and a new beneficiary of the government scholarship, it is depressing. He said he handed over his award letter since last month. Now lectures have resumed, but he still helplessly waits, even as courses get full at a public university where capacity remains a major issue due to limited lecturers and, therefore, courses per semester.
“This is really disturbing so many people, especially the 100 level students, because many classes are full already,” he said.
He relayed that he went to the accounts office on Monday. Some of them were asked to leave, that they will be cleared. However, they still remain uncleared.
Amadou urged the need to improve the system to “make things easier for everyone”. However, the broader issue is the inability to pinpoint where the problem lies
“Is it MoHERST (government) or the UTG,” they demand answers, underscoring that they want this perennial problem to be permanently addressed.
The some of the students have also lambasted the current executive of the students’ union “for the silence”
