By Binta Jaiteh
The legislators for Niani and Banjul South constituencies have expressed dismay over the recently released West Africa Senior Secondary Schools Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results and urged the Ministry of Basic and Secondary School Education(MoBSE) to set standards.
The NAM for Niani, Omar Jobe, explained that over 17,201 students registered for WASSCE but 16,405 sat the examination, out of which only 921 students met the university requirements. This, he explained, is only 5% of the cumulative number.
“If the trend continues, the UTG will not get the number of quality students needed for admission. We need to strategically look at our educational sector because the country cannot move without good education,” Jobe stressed.
Banjul South lawmaker Fatoumatta Njai pointed out that it’s evident that the results came out very pooragain, adding that, as members of the National Assembly, they have concerns about the future of the youths.
“I think we should remind the Minister that the education of our children is very crucial. Let her visit the curriculum and make sure that she gives our children the education they need,” she stated.
NAM Njai urged the basic and secondary education minister and teachers to provide numerations to effectively deliver adequate knowledge to the students. “The least educated children are a bleak nation and we can’t bear that. We want our children to receive the same education we got. As for me, I didn’t attend any private school. I studied at a government school. So, I expect the government to give the same knowledge to the next generation,” she emphasized.
Madam Njai explained that the WASSCE results have been poor for three consecutive years now and disagreed with Minister Claudiana Cole’s assessment that last year’s result marked an improvement.
“I disagree with that. We cannot call that improvement. The government is duty-bound to invest in the education sector because those children are the future leaders. So, the government should provide strategies to change the current status and unfortunately, they are not working towards that,” she added.
