By Assan Bah
The Gambia Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (GADHOH) has commended the remarkable achievements of deaf and hard-of-hearing students in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The association, led by Executive Director Dodou Loum, expressed gratitude for the significant improvements demonstrated by this year’s candidates from the GADHOH School for the Deaf in Brikama, Jamissa.
According to GADHOH, the school’s results reflect a new level of academic excellence. Three candidates achieved seven credits each, two students earned six credits with two passes, one student secured four credits and four passes, and another obtained three credits and two passes, among other successes. The association described these achievements as a testament to the positive impact of persistent advocacy for the effective use of sign language in teaching.
“Several years of our advocacy effort on the significance of effective application of sign language in teaching both deaf children and adults at all stages of education and technical vocational training has begun to bear fruit, and so we are vindicated,” GADHOH stated. The association emphasized that these results are the direct outcome of the school’s commitment to prioritizing sign language as the primary medium of instruction.
GADHOH extended its gratitude to the dedicated teachers whose efforts contributed to this success. The association also renewed its call to all stakeholders, urging them to recognize sign language as the most appropriate means of communication with deaf people. Continued failure to do so, GADHOH warned, constitutes an outright denial of effective participation in society and access to equal opportunities.
“It is a recipe for their continuous economic and social dependence. So, the opportunity for self-reliance is beyond their reach. All of which tantamount to a violation of their human rights,” the statement concluded.
The association’s celebration of this year’s results serves as both a milestone for inclusive education and a renewed plea for broader societal recognition of the rights and potential of deaf and hard of hearing individuals.
