116 Students from John Pickering Comprehensive Senior Secondary School and 17 students of Skill Training Centre were on Monday certificated during their 1st and 4th graduation ceremony respectively that also coincide with the inauguration ceremony of the ground floor six class room block named after a pioneer sponsor of Stiching Kalifa Foundation based in the Netherland at a colourful ceremony held at the school ground in Lamin Daraka Village in the Kombo North District.

The ceremony which goes along with series of activities welcoming song by the school choir drama presentation and poem by the school drama society, and cultural display by the Akrobatic and Manjago dance which made the audience amarged and astonished.

During his introductory remark Kalifa Jobe the executive director of Stiching Kalifa Foundation have informed the gathering the success registered by Angela Horton Foundation in partnership with Stiching Kalifa Foundation since its establishment have been numerous, citing that the foundations have been involved in different activities ranging from Skill Training, Malaria Control programme, relief Services, Agricultural activities, educational programmes, sponsorship programmes for needy students from all categories of educational institutions and amongst others, that have improved the welfare of many students he added.

He however further informed the gathering to observer a minute silence for the late Oma Linder the pioneer sponsor of Stiching Kalifa Foundation and Micheal Tommy the vice principal of John Pickering Comprehensive Senior Secondary School. He finally commend the sponsors of the inaugurated classroom blocks most of the sponsors who comes from the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Germany respect
ively.

The guest speaker of the occasion Lamin Sam Jaiteh the Registrar at the University of the Gambia have dwelled on the effects of the early high school graduation and its remedy, which he said early graduation is a phenomenon that was mainly in Europe and America adding that these societies had a culture of engaging their children in school activities very early in life and most of these children he added will finish school within the age brackets of 14 and 16.  

However as turns went by, the importance of learning unfolded thereby bringing a lot most societies and civilizations in the fore. The trend has now suffused to virtually the entire globe and early childhood graduation now is begin to be an interesting scene in the education arena.

The Gambia of course is no exception especially in view of reduction of the Primary School attending age from eight to seven as well as the emergence of multiple day care centres and nursery schools all of which shape students to be smart and get ready for school most prior to their time.

He further went on to say that the international school have also added to this trend as they mostly recruit students at very young years, adding that the presentation seeks to approach the topic from mainly the six dimensions or theories in learning including the cognitive, behavioral, sociability, educational and the external benefits dimensions, the sociability, educational and the external benefit dimensions and would then proceed to give the pros and cons of early childhood graduation and the possible remedies both on the side of the immediate families of students involved and the government at large.

Other speakers at the ceremony were Bea Linders, Boto Camara Principal John Pickering Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Essa Janko the head boy and Isatou B. Jawo the head girl of the said institution.

Diny Philipsen-Linders the daughter of the late Oma Linder on behalf of the six members of the family who attended the ceremony cut the Ribbon of the Oma classroom block. The  ceremony was also attended by group of people from the Netherlands.