After launching her first children’s book just before last Christmas in Brooklyn, Grenadian educator Dr. Ansha Clement is heading on a mission to The Gambia, West Africa.
Dr. Clement – a trained principal, a master teacher at Math for America, a chemistry teacher and author of “Baby’s First Science: ABC” – told Caribbean Life on Saturday that she will be among leading educators from the United States and the United Kingdom on a nine-day mission, from Feb. 10-18, which seeks, among other things, to “lay the foundation for a more educated and skilled workforce” in The Gambia.
The Baldwin, Nassau County, Long Island resident said, among educators traveling to The Gambia are William “Billy” Green, the 2023 New York State Teacher of the Year and a master chemistry teacher at A. Philip Randolph Campus High School in New York City; and Alhassan Susso, the 2019 New York State Teacher of the Year, who founded the Namie Foundation, a tribute to his beloved grandmother, dedicated to advocating for educators and global education initiatives.
Susso, who was born in The Gambia and migrated to the US at 16, currently teaches government, economics and personal development at the International Community High School in the South Bronx.
He is also the author of a motivational memoir, “The Light of Darkness: The Story of the Griots’ Son,” which traces his journey to America as a nearly blind teenager, and his trials and triumphs in becoming American, while maintaining his deep African roots.
In line with this mission, Dr. Clement said the Namie Foundation, in collaboration with the Gambia Teachers Union and the Ministry of Education in The Gambia, will seek to establish the inaugural “Gambia Teacher Prize.”
“This accolade aims to honor exceptional basic and secondary school teachers who have significantly impacted their students and the field of education,” she said, adding that “The Gambia Teacher Prize is more than just a commendation; it represents a strategic investment in education.
“The goal is to lay the foundation for a more educated and skilled workforce, contributing significantly to the socio-economic development of The Gambia,” Dr. Clement continued. “This award is closely aligned with the initiative to bring about positive change in the Gambian education system by addressing core challenges, particularly focusing on enhancing the quality of teachers and teacher training.”
By shedding light on the daily challenges faced by teachers, fostering essential conversations and empowering them, she said the prize supports the overarching goal of ensuring quality outcomes in education.
Additionally, Dr. Clement said it serves as “a powerful tool to attract top-tier talent to the teaching profession, acknowledging and celebrating the pivotal role that teachers play in shaping the nation’s future.”
She said the Education Summit and the Teacher Prize aim to address alarming statistics, such as 91 percent of 7-14-year-olds lacking basic numeracy skills, 89 percent lack basic reading skills, and 29 percent of Gambian children are out of school.
During the mission, Dr. Clement said US and UK educators will, among other things, visit several schools; convene with their Gambian teacher colleagues and education officials to share observations and insights; conduct professional training for Gambian teachers; hold an awards ceremony at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara Conference Center; and tour the rich history of The Gambia, and learn about the culture, “enabling them to better support their immigrant students, especially those from West Africa.”
Dr. Clement said the delegation will also visit the “home” of Kunta Kinte, a fictional character in the 1976 novel “Roots: The Saga of an American Family” by American author Alex Haley.
“Kunta Kinte was based on one of Haley’s ancestors, a Gambian man who was born around 1750, enslaved, and taken to America where he died around 1822,” said Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia. “Haley said that his account of Kunta’s life in Roots is a mixture of fact and fiction.”
Dr. Clement said “Baby’s First Science: ABC” will be available at the Timbuktu Bookstore, the largest bookstore in The Gambia, and at The National Library.
In getting the opportunity to travel to The Gambia, she said she would be able to “observe and experience new educational settings, build relationships with great educators from around the world, and create a space for me to be curious, reflective and explorative of the impact and differences that I can make globally, specifically in the Caribbean.
“It will help me develop an understanding of goals for educational systems, and the best ways for expansion and growth within systems but also within stakeholders of those educational systems,” said Clement, who earned her Doctor of Education (Ed. D) in organizational leadership, with emphasis on organizational development, from Grand Canyon University.
In addition, she said the trip would help her to “exhibit integrity, develop specificity behind visions and be compassionate to inspire all stakeholders.
“It is my first step to making systemic change globally, socially and culturally,” said Dr. Clement, stating that, in order to be a transformational leader, one has to be “self-aware, authentic, able to collaborate (and) build networks to influence positive change.”
