The Minister of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE), Dr. Abiebatou Drammeh, has addressed public concerns surrounding the replacement of a designated guest speaker at the recent speech and prize-giving ceremony of Boduk Lower and Upper Basic School, saying the decision was made in response to objections from the local community rather than political considerations.
Speaking on West Coast Radio’s flagship morning programme, Coffee Time with Pete Gomez, Dr. Drammeh clarified the events that led to opposition political figure Modou Cham being replaced as the ceremony’s guest speaker.
According to the Minister, the event was organised by a joint committee representing the Boduk school cluster. While some members of the school staff had initially proposed Mr. Cham as the guest speaker, the decision was met with strong resistance from members of the local community and the School Management Committees (SMCs) shortly before the event.
“When the community disagreed to have Cham as the guest speaker, the simple thing the school authorities could have done was to respectfully call Cham and relate this to him,” Dr. Drammeh said during the interview. “The best we could do was to look at the greater good, and the greater good was to step Cham aside and get someone else that the audience is comfortable with.”
The Minister stressed that the objections were linked to longstanding local disagreements between Mr. Cham and some community elders, rather than his affiliation with an opposition political party.
Dr. Drammeh also clarified that the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education does not ordinarily select or approve guest speakers for school ceremonies. She explained that such decisions are typically left to school administrations and their respective community stakeholders.
However, she acknowledged that the matter should not have escalated to the ministry, describing it as an administrative shortcoming at the local level.
Despite the controversy in Boduk, the Minister praised school administrators, teachers, parents and students across the country for the successful conduct of this year’s speech and prize-giving ceremonies. She commended schools for adhering to national guidelines and expressed appreciation for the commitment and discipline demonstrated throughout the events.
Dr. Drammeh further emphasised that guest speakers invited to school functions should focus on motivating students and encouraging them to become responsible and productive citizens, rather than introducing political issues into educational programmes.
Responding to a separate question on staff engagement with the media, the Minister clarified that ministry employees are free to speak to journalists in their personal capacities. However, she noted that any official communication or statements made on behalf of the Ministry require prior authorisation.
