Background

Bakalarr Basic Cycle School, in the North Bank Region, is reached from Banjul by using the ferry across the Gambia River to Barra, followed by a road journey of about 15km. [ Map showing Bakalarr BCS ] The school serves five local villages, and has Grades from 1 to 9, as well as a nursery class. Pageant began visiting the school in 2001, and has helped in many ways over the years, but much of the credit for the huge improvements achieved is down to the enthusiasm and commitment of its headmaster Mr Bakary Gitteh.

In June 2008, work was progressing well at Bakalarr on constructing living quarters for some of the school staff who have moved from other areas. We received an email from Headmaster Bakary Gitteh saying:

"Thanks a lot for the extra fund for the completion of the roof. For your information the roof is completed and there is a balance of 30 sheets of corrugated iron. I have informed Wandifa about it and we have decided to use it to ceiling the parlour of the largest house in the block."

The photos below were taken by Pageant's agent Wandifa, before the last lot of corrugated sheets were put in place on the roof. In The Gambia, most schools and village houses do not have ceilings, only the roof itself, so a ceiling is a luxury! The interior still needs a lot of work doing, as shown in the last photograph.

The staff quarters are now complete. Pippa performed the official opening ceremony in February 2009 and found several teachers in residence during a (surprise!) visit in April. They were very happy with their new homes and said it would make recruitment of new staff much easier, now there was somewhere in the school compound for them to live.