Essa Faal is not entirely wrong. If you look at the grammar in most of the responses, one can only pity them. English has never been the strong side for many Gambians, and this stems mainly from the poor quality of teachers we have in our schools.

Most of them keep telling us they got admitted to Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, or that they have obtained master’s degrees and PhDs. But how many of them have published in high-impact journals?

How many have sat as reviewers or editors of such journals? What is their contribution to knowledge beyond holding a certificate? Academic excellence is not measured by admissions letters or framed diplomas; it is measured by output, ideas, research, innovation, and the ability to shape scholarly discourse. That is where the real test lies.

One would have expected some of these UTG graduates to craft a scholarly response, clear, precise, and with empirical facts, but they did not. Instead, it has been defensive rhetoric. Let them now reflect on this and raise the standard.

Why the UTG is Not Fit for Purpose

The University of The Gambia was established with the noble ambition of producing graduates who could compete globally.

Yet, decades later, it remains largely a teaching institution rather than a research university. Its library is under-resourced, its faculty are overstretched and often underqualified, and research output is almost nonexistent. Accreditation bodies may recognise it legally, but academically, it is invisible on the world stage because it does not produce knowledge, it only distributes recycled content.

Until UTG shifts from being a glorified high school to a true university, where research, peer-reviewed publications, and innovation are central, it cannot claim to be internationally recognised in any meaningful sense. That is the uncomfortable truth Essa Faal was pointing at, and instead of shooting the messenger, Gambians should confront the rot in their education system.

Concerned Gambian