By Seedy Jobe
The Gambia Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (GCCPC) is training school cluster monitors across the country to identify and curb practices that it says unfairly burden parents, including excessive fees, undisclosed charges, and requirements to purchase uniforms and learning materials directly from schools.
The training follows a GCCPC study of the basic and secondary education sector conducted in 2024 and 2025 after years of complaints from parents.
Speaking to QTV on Monday, Alhagie Sambou, the commission’s director of legal and enforcement, said parents had raised concerns about high fees, hidden charges, and unfavorable terms and conditions.
The commission conducted consultations with government, private, grant-aided, and madrasa schools across the country in collaboration with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education and with support from ActionAid and ChildFund. The findings were later validated with stakeholders, Mr. Sambou said.
According to Mr. Sambou, many of the complaints involved private schools. One of the most common practices identified was what the commission calls “tying and bundling,” in which parents are required to buy uniforms, books, and other materials from a school as a condition of enrollment.
He said the practice restricts consumer choice and can increase costs for families who may be able to purchase the same items more cheaply elsewhere.
“As a body in charge of competition and consumer protection, we believe that consumers should have unlimited choice to explore, particularly when they can get it elsewhere cheaper,” Mr. Sambou said.
The study also identified concerns about transparency, including school policies, fees, and conditions that parents may not learn about until after enrolling their children.
Mr. Sambou said cluster monitors were being trained ahead of the new school year because of their role in overseeing school activities and their ability to identify practices highlighted by the study.
The training also covered the government’s School Improvement Grant and free education policy, which is intended to prevent schools from imposing certain fees on parents. Mr. Sambou said those measures complement the country’s consumer protection laws.
“As a consumer protection authority, we’re protecting vulnerable people,” he said. “We want parents who usually struggle with limited resources to be able to use those resources in a more frugal manner.”
Mr. Sambou said the commission had also trained the association representing private school operators last year following concerns identified in the study.
The GCCPC said it would continue working with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to ensure schools comply with consumer protection laws and government education policies.
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