Perhaps one thing the government of the second republic will be remembered for is the establishment of a university.

The lack of a university in the country was a major deficiency of the first republic. University education was then a luxury opened mostly to children of the well-to-do and those occupying positions of influence in the government. While we acknowledge certain strides taken by the previous government the lack of a university was a major defect. Institutions like Gambia College , The Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI) and the Management Development Institute MDI had and still continue to help the education system of The Gambia. But the fact remains that many Gambians who could have made it to university were unable to further their education beyond form six. Sometimes announcements for eligible candidates to apply for scholarships were merely for the sake of announcing-what the Mandinkas would call 'YAMARRSYNDO'.

 This was a crime against intellectual enhancement, which by extension can also be blamed partly for our failure to attain a substantial level of development. Education is key in any country's development for without it no meaningful progress can be attained. The Gambia had and still relies heavily on expatriate support from friendly countries. The Gambian Judiciary is one sector that continues to rely on outside support from countries like Nigeria , Sierra Leone and Ghana.

 Most of the judges on the Gambian Bench are drawn from these countries. While we appreciate and commend the assistance we continue to get from these countries we should also remember that it goes with a price because maintaining these expatriates is a costly undertaking. Maybe this is one of the ills we have resolved to address when we made reference in the 1997 Constitution about the wrongs of the past.

In addition to many other development programmes the government of the day can be praised for making it possible for Gambian children to obtain first degrees in their own soil. This development, which came in 1996, will remain indelible in the history books for generations yet unborn. The university extension programme that was conducted in association with the Saint Mary's University in Canada culminated to the University of The Gambia and with the rapid developments within the University of The Gambia the dream to gambianise the Gambian Judiciary will become a reality. With the recent creation of a Law Faculty in the University of The Gambia many Gambians would soon be trained in the legal profession.

This is expected to enhance the manpower requirement of the Gambian Judiciary. The beauty of such a programme is not just the enhancement of the manpower supply but home trained lawyers are expected to have a good knowledge of the Gambian legal system. This would be advantageous for justice delivery in the country. William Shakespeare said it in All Is Well That's Ends Well that "adoption strives with nature, choice brings to us a native fruit from foreign seeds" This is based on the assumption that indigenes can deal better with indigenous laws than foreigners. Although we have a lot of similarities in terms of our jurisprudence it can never be uniform.

The onus therefore is on us to ensure that the Law department is able to live up to the challenge. But for any new beginning there are bound to be teething problems. The law department is not an exception to such a phenomenon. Therefore collective efforts are needed in order to make the department relevant and responsive to our needs. All relevant stakeholders should play their part by helping to inject into the programme the much needed substance. It will not be enough to leave everything to the University. In this regard I would like to suggest to the General Legal Council the need to seriously look into establishing a law school in The Gambia. The Law department will very soon graduate its first batch of students but until now we are yet to see convincing indicators about having a law school in The Gambia. Remember without a law school we are only solving one side of the problem. It should therefore be a priority for the General Legal Council and anyone connected therewith to seriously pursue the issue.

 I would also like to appeal to the Gambian Bar Association to open their doors to the Law department. Indeed the Gambian Bar has got highly talented, experienced and well grounded people in the legal profession who could be a good source of material and inspiration for students of the law department. I do not think you intend to hand the baton to people who would not be able to move things beyond where you left them. So I would suggest with all humility to you our learned colleagues in advance to strike while the iron is hot for it would just be wise to do so.

The university authorities can also be reminded of the need to provide the department with full time lecturers and professors. Just as the Gambian Judiciary cannot continue relying on expatriates, the Law department cannot depend on part time lecturers forever. The need to have a well-equipped law library that would be accessible by students cannot be overemphasised although we are quite aware of the lack of space. While we acknowledge that it is an expensive undertaking, we equally believe that it is a necessity if we have to sustain the department and give it the recognition it deserves.

At this juncture, I would like on behalf of the entire law students to express gratitude to our lecturers for their untiring efforts to impart knowledge into us. It is not easy considering the fact that most of them are busy with their private engagements. So it is just commendable that they are able to find time out of their busy schedules to give lectures. I think in sum they could be described as being patriotic. But the commendation will be incomplete if I fail to mention the coordinator of the Law department Mrs Aisatou Jallow Sey. I think she is a woman of substance who is playing the role of a mother but we would like to appeal to her not to start thinking about weaning us. We need that motherly affection more than ever before.

We are equally indebted to the entire University administration for giving us the attention we need despite their numerous administrative matters.  Finally we would also like to extend heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to the Chancellor of the University His Excellency the President of the Republic, Professor Alhaji Dr.  Yahya Jammeh for extending a generous hand to pay for all needy students of the first and second batch of the law department as well as those employed but were not on private scholarships. It could not have come at a better time. We are just thankful Mr President and Chancellor, your continued support is earnestly solicited.