MY REACTIONS TO THE CABINET INFORMATION PAPER ON THE GAMBIA’S 2024 WASSCE RESULTS

Following the release of the Cabinet Information on Gambia’s 2024 WASSCE results are my two cents worth on the discursive issues highlighted by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE).

Introduction:

The summary of the 2024 WASSCE results prepared by the Policy, Planning, Analysis, Research, and Budgeting Directorate (PPARBD) of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) provides a comprehensive overview of candidate performance and trends in the Gambia's education sector. ?My hearty congratulations to all the candidates who have performed exceedingly well with good passing grades in all core subjects, and hard luck to those who failed, not because they cannot pass, but because circumstances in this given scenario did not favor them. ?I am sending them a note of encouragement not to allow failure to take a dent in their passion for education but to try and re-sit the (WASSCE) to obtain passing grades for future opportunities in work and pursuit of higher education. ?Leverage the power of a second chance, and you shall rise again with that excellent and contagious smile of “I have made it” if you do not give up hope, resilience, and faith. ?

?First, seeing a 2.7% increase in this year's WASSCE results from 16.9% in 2023 to 19.6% in 2024 is gratifying. ?This suggests an increase in candidates' percentage of achieving credit in five subjects, including mathematics and English. ?Indeed, this is a remarkable feat for the candidates for demonstrating such an excellent academic performance. ?Hurrah guys! ?Second, the registered 23.8% passing rate credit increase in the core subject of Mathematics is significantly encouraging. ?This highlights that the investment in STEM by the government of the Gambia is yielding benefits, as the teachers have ably demonstrated and delivered quality lectures despite the odds of having/drawing poor remuneration compared to other civil servants.

Moreover, this suggests that the students understand and apply the concepts taught in class with precision and pragmatism when tested in an examination. ?On the gender representation of candidates, I am happy to see increased involvement and participation of the female gender in secondary education, representing 61.52%. ?This is great as it implies that the female gender is particularly invested in having quality education, thus competing reasonably well against their male counterparts with the prepared mind and willing hearts that they are not settling for less in the education spectrum and the country’s national development ecosystem.

Concerns:

Based on the data presented in the report per the provided information, the following are some concerning observations needing priority attention and surgical prescription from the education ministry if we dare to shift the needles and ensure more passing grades for students sitting for WASSCE:

1.???? Despite an increase in credit in Mathematics and English, the 8.2% still needs to be higher, given the high number of 18,042 candidates who sat for the said WASSCE examination. ?This indicates curriculum design defects, presentation and delivery problems, high attrition in the teaching profession, less student attention (poor student-teacher ratio), absenteeism, teachers’' workloads, and interrupted school calendars due to the many unnecessary national holidays. ?To escape the optics of limiting ourselves to the snail incremental or static walks, more targeted support in times of funding, infrastructure (technology access – such as computers, internet, and educational software to promote and enhance effective experimental learning and digital literacy in students and teachers), teacher training and support, curriculum development redesign are needed in these two critical subjects, as we cannot risk producing students’ with fewer or no passing grades in Mathematics and English.

2.???? The ungraded results of 870 candidates for this year’s WASSCE are a cause for concern. ?This is not a problem we can afford to ignore or dismiss as an isolated incident. ?It is a clear sign that our system has structural and systemic flaws that must be addressed immediately to prevent future recurrences.

3.???? Withholding the results of 28 candidates because of examination malpractice has presented a negative picture of the integrity of the WASSCE examination process in The Gambia. ?However, this has become a blessing in disguise, allowing us to reflect deeply on what has gone wrong in such a scenario and how to address the seemingly intractable challenges bedeviling our examination governance. ?This indicates the need for effective monitoring and stricter enforcement of examination protocols to punish bad actors (teachers, examiners,/invigilators, and students). ?

Suggestions:

1.???? MoBSE should urgently address the noticeable gender disparities in performance. ?The data indicate that the male gender lags behind the female gender in the five (5) credits or more growth poles. ?This is not just a matter of academic performance but a question of equality and fairness in our education system.

2.???? MoBSE should thoroughly examine the ungraded results, effective immediately. ?In addition, priority focus and attention should be centered on students' educational needs, with a dedicated team of academic assessors to help students complete and meet expectations on the devised continuous assessment system.

3.???? MoBSE should develop programs explicitly aimed at improving those at-risk, underperforming students'’ in English and Mathematics through targeted academic support. ?This implies that the education budget of MoBSE needs to be increased compared to that of no other sector or ministry besides agriculture and energy. ?Additionally, the government, through MoBSE, should exploit more significant resource mobilization by promoting strategic partnerships and investments in the areas of public-private partnerships (PPPs) with other relevant stakeholders to invest in the education sector, as that is critical if we are to compete with other nations in the areas of science, Research, and development, as quality education is the passport to the future.

4.???? Given that examination is not a fair test of one’s intelligence, measures that strengthen examination integrity should be put in place and effectively implemented to deter and punish bad actors in cheating or examination malpractices. ?This is necessary because it encourages a level-playing field of a fairer assessment of all candidates, where competency and knowledge demonstrated with the practicum of effective learning take precedence and as the new norm and rewards of encouraging and enhancing the goodness of learning and education in this vital sector of our national economy.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, this year's WASSCE results show some significant gains in performance increases compared to last year’s results. ?However, the 2024 WASSCE results call for MoBSE to further interrogate the nuances and complexities of students' poor performances and failures in our national exams. ?As such, the highlighted challenges and proposed suggestions should be examined objectively, as they present policy implications for education officials, examiners, teachers, students, researchers, and policymakers.

References

Policy, Planning, Analysis, Research, and Budgeting Directorate (PPARBD) (2024). Cabinet Information on Gambia’s 2024 WASSCE Results. Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE).