Editorial,

When the idea of University of The Gambia was conceived some ten years ago, it was greeted with profound skepticism from a good number of the population. Many believed that the country was too young and incapable of handling the task of running a university. Nonetheless, the optimists, who have always had an utmost trust and confidence in the current leadership and had a deep understanding of its mission, vision as well as its genuine determination to transform The Gambia into an economic and social super power, never doubted this possibility.

It all started as a university extension program and with dedication guided by selfless interest on the part of the leadership, as well as trust and support on the part of all genuine citizens and friends of the country, it developed into a full fledge university. UTG has proved the skeptics wrong by graduating over 800 students from various academic disciplines ranging from Development Students, Biology, Agriculture,  to Economics, Management, and Language as well as producing home-trained doctors. These graduates of the university are tremendously contributing to the socio-economic, political and cultural advancement of the country. They are relentlessly propelling our engine of growth and development.

The launching of two Masters Degree programs, notably Public Health and African History in the university some few years ago, had also raised some concerns. But the inaugural defence of the MA theses in History, marking the completion of study of the first batch of students of the field, is a manifestation that the university is making headways. Since the inception of the UTG, the institution has been challenged to be the intellectual power house of the country, by educating the people to become critically minded so that they can become active participants in the shaping of our destiny. The expansion of programs in the university so as to provide a wider scope in the cultivation and production of knowledge in the country manifests that the institution is committed to the fulfillment of her mandate.

These students, who have just defended their theses in History, did not only make history and names for themselves by being the first batch to perform such a task at the university, but they would also be agents in the rewriting of African history. Most of Africa's rich historical facts have been distorted by the colonial armchair historians. Having history students, who are educated, trained and compiled their research theses at home can undoubtly provide us with historical facts backed by empirical evidence.

It is an obvious fact that no country can prosper with its vast population ignorant. Education is the engine of growth and development of any national economy. This is what the current leadership is aware of and so has taken an uncompromising stance in the promotion of higher and quality education and assuming the mantle of leadership. The Gambian education sector and the UTG in particular stand to benefit a lot from government, as it continues to make efforts towards hitting the MDG target in education. We, therefore, pray and wish this pioneering batch of the Masters students of the UTG successes in their endeavours.