Students of the University of The Gambia under the guidance of the students' union are back in town after a week-long study tour which took them to the University of Ziguinchor.

The study tour, which started from the 4th to the 8th of August, was organized by the students' union as part of a partial fulfilment of their quest to broaden the intellectual horizon of the students of the University of The Gambia. The tour gave the students an opportunity to see for them selves the teaching and learning methodologies at the visited sister university, as well as indebt knowledge of their organizational structure.

Speaking to the Daily Observer after concluding the tour, the president of the University of The Gambia Students' Union(UTGSU), Ansumana Darboe, said they embarked on the study tour because, it is a priority for the students' union to link the students of the university of The Gambia with students of other universities in the sub region. "We feel that as students in West Africa we should share and learn from each other. Now that the tour is concluded, our duty is to inculcate in our students the wisdoms and positive characters that we have seen in Ziguinchor University", he remarked.  

The UTGSU president further unveiled to this paper that during their week-long trip, they had the opportunity to engage the students and some officials of the University administration into a dialogue so as to understand how the students and the university authorities interact and conduct them selves, hold meeting with some youth groups. He added that they also visited the Ziguinchor tourism development area and the home of the traditional Osue king.

"During our dialogue with the students, we found out that for them, strike actions is the most efficient means to solve their problems, the University is structured in such a way that the student leaders cannot meet the vice chancellor as they report to the student affairs officer, all students at the university are on scholarship and are given stipend which are all the direct opposite to what operate here. But we were able to convince them to restore to the principles of diplomacy and dialogue in addressing their grievances, they have agreed to consider and work towards that. We feel this is a great achievement for us", he noted.

Expressing his satisfaction on the fabulous academic environment at the University of Ziguinchor, the UTGSU President, Ansumana Darboe said; "The learning environment is good, there is team spirit among the students, they have a modern university campus hosting some three hundred students, a supplicated digital library and the administrative complex is just nice". He also seized the opportunity to call on the University of The Gambia administration and the concern authorities to take the issue of a university campus seriously and work hard to complete the University Village under construction so that they can also enjoy what their colleagues are enjoying.

He added that they would endeavour to engender some of the good things that they have seen particularly team spirit among the students of the university.