Distraught Parent Appeals To President Jammeh To Bailout Suffering Gambian Students In

“The reason why I allowed  my child to join the 20 batch of students,  is because I was told by Omar Gibba,  the assistance Chief Protocol officer  that my child would be going to study under a  full scholarship from the office of the President and the Cuban government but this is not the case,.”said a distraught parent Fatou Jobarteh.

…… A  LETTER OF APPEAL TO H.E

By Fatou Jobarteh, Banjul

Dear Editor,

Can you give me space in your widely read newspaper to inform and appeal to His Excellency the President to urgently help my child and other students in Cuba.  Your Excellency,  I wish to write this letter to you to inform you and appeal for urgent intervention. My child wrote to me everyday telling me she wants to come back home because of the hardship that she is facing in the Island.  She told me that since she left The Gambia for  that country for studies under your personal scholarship, they have been going through unbearable situation.  And is now half a year,  they have not been paid their stipend.  As a poor parent, I do not have the means  to send money to her in that island.

Sir, perhaps this problem has not been brought to your attention, but is really disappointing to hear that our children are sent to Cuba just only to suffer. Though,  I am conscious of the fact that to study outside your country is not an easy task and more over in a country like Cuba, where cost of living is high.  The reason why I allowed  my child to join the 20 batch of students,  is because I was told by Omar Gibba,  the assistance Chief Protocol officer  that my child would be going to study under a  full scholarship from the office of the President and the Cuban government but this is not the case.

When I received an email from my child,  I tried to get in touch  with the people concern,  but to no avail.  I called Gibba in his office, but I was told that he is England. I also asked for the person in charge of student affairs in the office,   but was again referred to the Jammeh  Foundation.  When I called, I was referred back   to the office of the President.

 I did also called the  office of the secretary general and I was told by an insider that there is an embassy  in Cuba,  where students could channel their problems, so their problems could be solved. But to my surprise,  I was made to understand  that one Pierre Tamba, who is now the Ambassador in  that country, was here for almost two months,  but did not  try find out about the reason why the students have  not been paid up till now.

  Finally, Mr. President, I am appealing to you to  look into the students situation in Cuba.