Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

This member contributed to:

    • Mr. Taibou Sonko

      Niumi Lamin Village Development Committee, North Bank Region
      Gambia

      There should be compulsory child education, academically and technically in all developing countries and Highly Indebted Poor Countries. This should start in the basic education system through to the tertiary and professional level. The Government through the Ministry of Education should adopt and revise the school curriculum to cater for skills/technical subjects/courses practical based to enable the children interpret the theories through hands on deck. Thus, when the academic and skills training run along side eachother, the country will have a youthful population that is vibrant in various skills areas, and be able to manned key sectors be it government or institutions and move forward.

      In the other hand, agricultural policies can be revised to be highly mechanised, and be totally against child labour and be monitored to the letter. The chapters and clauses in the policies should be in support to stoppage of child labour in agriculture. This can be fuelled by a well structured education system that is compulsory and responsive to the rural communities, and be influenced and monitored especially during the cropping season, as a form of remedy to child labour.  This will enable the children attend school instead of becoming farm hands for their parents. In connection, the government should provide much incentives to the farmers, and also revive the Mixed Farming Centres, Farmer Field Schools and Farmer Cooperatives. The Village Development Committees (VDCs) should be supported to ease the sensitisation at the village level, and the road networks build for easy access on monitoring and assurance.