By Ndey Sowe
Results analysis from the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) have shown that public schools have registered more aggregate 6 than private schools in this year’s Gambia Basic Education Certificate Examination (GABECE).
This came following the release of the 2021 GABECE results earlier this month as disclosed by MoBSE on Thursday, 30 September, 2021 at a media briefing on the outcome of the 2021 grade nine exam results.
The number of students that sat for this year’s GABECE was 26,147. Of these, 11,340 were boys and 4,807 girls.
The number of students with aggregate 6 has decreased from 26 in 2020 to 19 in 2021.
According to the results, 11 public and 5 private schools registered aggregate 6. Nineteen students bagged aggregate 6, of which 12 (63%) are from the public schools and 7 (37%) are from the private schools, of which 12 were boys and 7 girls.
“We have about four hundred and eighteen candidates whose results are not included in this analysis due to delay in the submission of Continuous Assessment (CASS) marks by their schools,” said Adama Jimba Jobe, Deputy Permanent Secretary at MoBSE.
Jobe added that the 418 candidates’ results are withheld by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) because their CASS marks were not submitted by their various schools. He said the number of candidates with aggregate less than or equal to 42 is 12,354. This has increased from 12,148 in 2020 to 12,354 in 2021.
According to the analysis by MoBSE, in terms of volume, there are more girls than boys with aggregate scores of 42 or less for the last three years. It said the number of passes in the four core subjects has also increased.
“Passes in English have increased from 11, 419 to 14,254, Maths from 6,028 to 9, 589, Science from 12, 863 to 14, 370 and SES from14,811 to 16, 513,” the analysis stated.
The analysis further showed that the number of candidates with passes in core subjects have increased across both genders.
“In 2021, 8,763 students credited English, 5,453 students credited Maths, 9,414 students credited Science and 11,370 credited SES. Compared to 2020, the volume of students with credit in the core subjects have increased across all subjects,” it added.
Louis Moses Mendy, Permanent Secretary for MoBSE, said there was no case of examination malpractice.
“We are working together to zeroized the fail rates in this country,” he said.
Mendy said despite their challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic, most students passed the GABECE exams this year compared to last year. He encouraged all teachers to take up postings anywhere they are posted to, while cautioning public schools that charge fees to students to desist from it.
