Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The 2024 West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results, released this week, have highlighted a significant improvement in the number of Gambian students achieving five credit passes, including English and Mathematics. This marks a historic moment for The Gambia, with officials at the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MOBSE) noting that such success has not been seen in the last 13 years.

The WASSCE, a standardized examination for students in English-speaking West African countries—The Gambia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria—saw 18,042 candidates from 148 Senior Secondary Schools in The Gambia participating this year. Among these, 6,943 were male and 11,099 were female. The candidates were tested in 38 subjects, including core subjects like English Language and Mathematics, as well as various technical and vocational courses. The results reflect substantial improvements, particularly in mathematics and technical subjects.

One of the most notable achievements was in mathematics, where 23.8% of candidates obtained credit passes—the highest success rate in the subject recorded over the past decade. This accomplishment was highlighted by Mr. Andrew Gomez, Director of Performance, Monitoring, and Evaluation at the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MOBSE).

“Gender-specific analysis revealed that 598 male candidates (3.31%) achieved five credit passes, including English and mathematics, while 791 female candidates (4.38%) reached the same milestone. This year’s figures represent a significant improvement, with an 8.2% increase in the number of candidates obtaining five or more credits, compared to last year’s 2.8%.”

The gender breakdown of the candidates revealed that 6,943 (38.4%) were male, while 11,099 (61.5%) were female, continuing a trend of higher female participation. Gambian students registered in 38 subjects, ranging from core subjects like English Language and Mathematics to various Science, Arts, Commerce, Technical, and Vocational subjects. Louis Moses Mendy, the Permanent Secretary of MOBSE, emphasized the ministry’s commitment to maintaining and enhancing these standards.

“Our goal as a sector is to produce an educated workforce capable of meeting the demands of the country’s development agenda. We aim to ensure that every student who completes grade 12 has acquired the skills and competence necessary to contribute to national development,” Mendy stated.

Mendy also praised the performance of schools in rural areas, with Nusratt Senior Secondary School leading the examination results, followed by Methodist Academy, which produced some of the top students this year.

However, the performance summary is based on a complete record of 17,172 candidates (95.17% of the total), with about 870 incomplete records still being processed. The final statistics may change once these records are completed.

However, the results of 28 candidates from 13 Senior Secondary Schools have been withheld due to suspicions of examination malpractice. Permanent Secretary Mendy explained that each case will be reviewed individually to determine the appropriate course of action. “If it is decided that the results must be disregarded, those students will not receive results for this year,” Mendy noted.

The 2024 WASSCE results not only reflect remarkable academic achievements but also reinforce the importance of continued investment in education, particularly in promoting gender equality and technical skills development.