By Seedy Jobe
The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education has announced the results of the 2026 Gambia Basic Education Certificate Examination, reporting improved student performance and the highest transition rate to senior secondary school since 2021.
The results were presented on Friday, Sept. 18, at a news conference at the ministry’s headquarters in Banjul.
Education Minister Dr. Habibatou Drammeh said the ministry was encouraged by this year’s performance, which she attributed in part to education reforms, targeted interventions and regional initiatives carried out with development partners to improve learning outcomes in public schools.
According to figures from the West African Examinations Council, 33,289 candidates registered for the 2026 examination, with female candidates making up about 59 percent of registrations and males about 40 percent.
The results of 1,492 candidates remain outstanding, the ministry said, adding that it is working with WAEC to have them released.
Of the candidates whose results were available, 24,050 — or 75.66 percent — obtained the required aggregate to qualify for senior secondary school, Drammeh said.
She described it as the highest transition rate since 2021, when 16,964 candidates qualified with an aggregate score of 42 or better.
The results also showed an increase in the number of top-performing students. A total of 457 candidates earned aggregate scores ranging from 6 to 9, including 76 who achieved a perfect aggregate of 6. The ministry said the number of candidates earning an aggregate of 6 increased by 26.7 percent from 2025.
Girls made up the majority of the highest-performing candidates. Of the 76 students who achieved an aggregate of 6, 50 were girls. Female students also accounted for 293 of the 457 candidates who recorded aggregate scores between 6 and 9.
Performance in science also improved, with the pass rate rising from 57.3 percent in 2025 to 65.1 percent this year — the highest level recorded since 2021. The ministry said gains were also recorded in mathematics.
Despite the improvements, about 24 percent of candidates did not meet the threshold required to advance to senior secondary school, Drammeh said.
She said the ministry is considering reviving its Second Chance Programme to provide remedial support to those students and give them an opportunity to retake the examination and qualify for senior secondary education.
Performance also varied across the country’s education regions.
Region 5 North, covering North Central River Region, recorded a 67 percent pass rate, 12.9 percentage points above the national average of 54.45 percent, according to the ministry.
Drammeh said the region’s performance was particularly notable because its candidates represented only 3.3 percent of those who sat the examination.
“Region 5 North is not a big region compared to regions to the west, but commendably it was able to produce the most students for high school entry,” she said.
Drammeh also highlighted the performance of boys in the region, where the male pass rate reached 71.6 percent.
“Region 5 North also showed an interesting gender strength,” she said. “It recorded an exceptional 71.6 percent male pass rate, so that’s quite exceptional compared to the other regions where we saw the trend.”
Drammeh said the overall results reflected progress from targeted interventions in the education sector and reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to improving learning outcomes across the country.
The ministry said it plans to build on this year’s gains while expanding support for students and schools that continue to struggle.
Comments are closed.