By Isatou Jallow
The West African Examination Council (WAEC) yesterday organised a national awards ceremony, the event was held at WAEC office, Banjul.
The ceremony was attended by different parents among other VIPs while the awardees were giving a cheque for D15,000.00 each.
Speaking on behalf of Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, the Head of National office WAEC Banjul Pa Samba Baldeh welcomed guest to the latest Edition of the National Awards Ceremony for the three (3) best performing candidates in the WASSCE (SC) and in the GABECE (SC).
“This year, we are recognizing the outstanding performance in the 2020 and 2021 edition of these examinations. You would recall that about this time last year we gathered right here on the premises of the council to mark the second edition of the Awards.
“The National Awards are one of two Awards instituted by the Council for recognizing outstanding performance in its examinations. The other Awards are the international awards. Whereas the international awards are open to and competed for by candidates from all member countries of WAEC. The National Awards are confined to candidates in the individual member countries and are organized by the National office,” he said.
“The National Awards are important part of the council’s activities in all the member countries. In the Gambia, the National Awards were reinstated by the Gambia Administrative and Finance committee at their 153rd Meeting held on May 11, 2012 and that very year, the first edition was held,” he added.
According to him, “on that occasion I indicated in my allocation that the management of the Banjul office intended to make the awards a regular feature of the council’s midyear meetings.”
He outlined the objective of the awards which he said is meant to recongnise excellence in the education system of the country and as well encouraged students to strive for that excellence.
The criteria for the Awards may be stringent, he noted, but they are not beyond the reach of students, “So, we are gathered here today recognizing and celebrating the achievements of their high flyers in the WASSCE (SC) 2020 and three other ones in the GABECE (SC) 2021.”
“All the awardees are from Nusrat Senior Secondary School for WASSCE (SC) 2020 and from St. Therese’s Upper Basic School, the Gambia Methodist Academy and St. Charles Lwanga Upper Basic School for GABECE (SC) 2020 and GABECE (SC), 2021,” he named them.
