Kinderdorf Bottrop Technical Senior Secondary School (KBTSSS) Saturday marked its Silver Jubilee in grand style. 
 
The celebration took the form of a march procession, with Bottrop students, ex-students, scout band, Bottrop partners, teachers and a cross-section of the Gambian community marching from the Brikama Police Station along the Trans-Gambia Highway to the KBTSSS grounds in Brikama. 
 
Speaking at the occasion, Baboucarr Boye, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) on behalf of his Ministry, thanked the German philanthropists for building the school, providing other educational materials and by extension contributing immensely to the socio-economic development of the country. He said that it is very heartening that the Germans did not only build the school but were also responsible for its running costs for the first two years.
 
PS Boye also on behalf of the government of The Gambia commended the Germans for complementing government's efforts in its drive to provide quality education for its citizens. According to him, they have succeeded in transforming the school into a centre of excellence and a learning institution that is cited as an example of success in the country. "The school has excelled not only in academics but also in sports as it has demonstrated in its achievements in the national school competition", he remarked.
 
"It is worth noting that this school is one of the only three technical senior schools in this region and recognising the fact that technical education is the key to development of any nation, The Gambia being no exception, your effort in addressing this need is a step in the right direction and the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education highly appreciates it. Furthermore, cognizant of the important role that teachers play in national development, no effort would be spared to retain and motivate them to continue to serve in this noble profession," he stated. 
 
PS Boye further revealed that the teachers would be given the opportunity to go for further training so as to enhance their competence and capacity to deliver modern standards of teaching. "I have no doubt that you have a cause to celebrate as a school, you have produced many successful citizens and the fact that some of them have occupied key positions in The Gambian society is a manifestation of your success," he noted.
 
He thanked the management and staff of Bottrop for a long period of patriotic service and hard work noting that the project has been successful. He also thanked the parents for their support. 
 
Boye finally advised the students to strive harder to maintain the good name of the school as a centre of academic excellence. For his part, Wolfgang Gerrits, head and chairman of Kinderdorf Bottrop project recalled that twenty five years ago they stayed here at this place, noting that they were seeing only the bush and trees. He revealed that only one year later they were able to open their first block in the kindergarten and added that it was the start of one of the most successful projects in the country. 
 
He said that it was their desire to invest in education as education is the key to success not only in the country but the world at large. He noted that in the year 1988 they celebrated the foundation of the Technical High School; in 1989 the first batch of students were enrolled and started learning. "All these could only be realised because a lot of partners and friends in Germany helped to pick up this project but the success of the project is the success of both the management and staff in the Kindergarten and our school," he said.
 
Gerrits thanked the management and staff of the school for managing the school in its first difficult years. Pa Arona Jagana, headmaster of the Kindergarten School revealed that the Bottrop project was founded in 1985 through the efforts of German nationals headed by Wolfgang Gerrits and Gunter Schmiter with the support of some committed Gambians like Dembo Jatta, the then chairman and Pa Solly Bojang. He added that the achievements of the internal structures of the Kindergarten are characterised by four classrooms with 200 children. He explained that the children are provided with all the necessary facilities at a free cost, such as education, feeding, First Aid services etc. He also said that the school has a total of 19 employees, 14 of whom are technical staff while others are casual. 
 
According to him, the Kindergarten has registered some remarkable successes in the improvement and preservation of the environment, noting that hundreds of fruits trees have been planted in the past 25 years. He revealed that as part of the Education For All (EFA) goals, Bottrop Kindergarten tried to extend its support to the vulnerable children of seven other communities in the Western Region, by building community-based nursery schools in each village.
 
Momodou B. Samateh, principal of the school said the German partners supported and provided the opportunity for many Gambian children to develop themselves and the country. He mentioned that the rapid expansion of basic and secondary education in recent years in the country is another strong indication that access, relevance and quality is a top priority, for the MoBSE. 
 
Samateh stated that the government of The Gambia through the MoBSE would forever be commended for its support financially, morally and otherwise. He revealed that the ex-students of the school formed a significant portion of both present and former students of the University of The Gambia, Gambia College, GTTI and MDI and other educational institutes in The Gambia and abroad. 
 
He then declared that the school is proud of its former students; saying their collective and individual support to their alma-mater is fully appreciated and recognised. Mariama Bah, a student of the school delivered the vote of thanks.