Almost ninety percent of the Gambian students, who sat for this year’s West African Senior Secondary school Certificate (WAEC) Examination, have miserably failed. The students have failed most of their subjects, especially subjects such as Mathematics and English language. Gambian academicians have warned that the results represent the country’s declining education system.
According to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), over 13, 000 Gambian students sat for this years’ West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination. Over 45 percent of the candidates were male, while 54 percent were female.
The West African Examinations Council says 475 candidates obtained credit passes in five subjects and above, including English language and Mathematics. WAEC also says there has been decreased in pass ratio compared to last year, when 530 students obtained five credit passes in five subjects and above.
Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, a Political Science Professor at the University of the Gambia, opines that the WAEC results depicts gloomy future for Gambia’s education system.
“The results are saying that the education system is really faltering because I think over ninety percent of the students, who sat the exams didn’t have the five credits that is needed to even enter University. Meaning that over ninety percent basically failed the exams. With compared to other countries in the sub-region, if you look at Nigeria, or Ghana, if they have 30 percent pass rate for them that is a failure. And this has been happening for the past couple of years especially in the subjects of Maths and English; Gambian students are failing,” Ceesay noted.
The exiled Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh has been credited for building numerous schools and hospitals in the country. Though, the two sectors have been underperforming for a while.
Dr. Ismaila Ceesay said lack of quality education could partly be blamed for the appalling results. “There is a combination of factors; one is that during the previous; in the past 10, 15, 20 years, the Gambian government has been investing more on the hardware of education; that is building schools; they have been focusing more on the quantity rather than quality; and they have not been investing more on the software of education; that is investing in teacher training; investing more in the education system.”
Ceesay also said lack of decent salaries and incentives is impacting on education in the Gambia. He says Gambian teachers are poorly paid, hence many are leaving the profession.
Also reacting to the development is Musa Bah, an English teacher at the Nurstrat High School. “The first reaction is that, the results are abysmally poor. The performance is very, very bad, and it is worrying for the country,” he said.
“ That means a large number of young people will be there, who cannot go to University because they don’t have the results; they cannot get jobs; and if it continues like this I think it is worthy of concern,” he added.
Mr. Bah said a wide range of reasons are responsible for the students underperformance in this year’s WAEC Exams. He cited the lack of comprehensive government policy in revamping the sector.
“Well the factors are many and vary; it can go from government policy to WAEC, and the way they write their questions; the teachers, the parents; it is complex, but all these factions are to blame in some way or the other,” Bah said.
The Gambian government under the leadership of President Adama Barrow, has developed a national blueprint document called the National Development Plan (NDP). The NDP seeks to address the country’s key developmental challenges such education, health, agriculture, among others.
The post GAMBIA: BREAKING NEWS: 90 PERCENT OF GAMBIAN STUDENTS WHO SAT FOR THIS YEAR’S WAEC EXAMS FAILED MISERABLY! appeared first on Freedom Newspaper.