Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – A claim by Almameh Gibba, the National Assembly Member for Foni Kansala, that university and tertiary education were free under former President Yahya Jammeh has been found to be false by Malagen’s fact checkers.

During an interview on Coffee Time with Peter Gomez on West Coast Radio, Gibba asserted that education under Jammeh’s administration was free, including at Gambia College and other tertiary institutions. However, a fact-checking investigation by Malagen has disproved this assertion.

Verification Findings

While basic and secondary education was free under Jammeh, Gambia College was not entirely tuition-free. Government-sponsored students did not pay tuition and received stipends, but private students were required to pay fees, meaning education was not universally free.

Furthermore, tertiary institutions such as the Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI)—now the University of Science, Engineering, and Technology (USET)—and the Management Development Institute (MDI), now known as the Civil Service University, were never tuition-free.

Gibba also claimed that university education was free under Jammeh. This is false. While Jammeh pledged in 2016 to introduce free university education from 2018, this promise was never implemented before his administration ended in early 2017.

Another False Claim on Security

Gibba further claimed that armed robberies, particularly bank heists, never occurred under Jammeh’s rule. However, historical records contradict this. In 2014, a broad daylight armed robbery took place at a Guaranty Trust Bank branch in Bakau.

Conclusion

The fact-check confirms that university and tertiary education were never entirely free under President Jammeh. While some government-sponsored students benefited from tuition exemptions, private students still had to pay. Additionally, the claim that armed robberies never occurred under Jammeh’s rule is also false, as documented incidents prove otherwise.

Source: Malagen