By Fatou Krubally
The Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice (EFSCRJ) has described Gambia’s 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results as evidence of a national education emergency, citing poor performance in English Language and Mathematics.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the rights organization said the results released by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education require urgent and comprehensive government intervention to address persistent weaknesses in the education system.
According to EFSCRJ, only 5,171 candidates, representing 26.17 percent of those who sat the examination, obtained a credit in English Language, while 1,814 candidates, or 9.18 percent, secured a credit in Mathematics.
The centre said just 1,410 candidates, representing 7.13 percent, achieved five or more credits including English and Mathematics, the minimum qualification required for direct entry into many tertiary education programs.
It further noted that 7,212 candidates failed to obtain a credit in any subject, including 1,496 students who completed all their examination papers but received F9 grades in every subject.
While acknowledging an improvement in the overall pass rate, EFSCRJ said the proportion of candidates obtaining five or more credits increased from 19.1 percent in 2025 to 22.6 percent in 2026, but falls sharply when English and Mathematics are included.
The organisation also expressed concern over examination absenteeism, stating that 1,958 candidates in the zero-credit category were affected by partial or complete absenteeism, including 199 who missed all their papers.
EFSCRJ called for an investigation into the causes of absenteeism and urged the government to strengthen support systems for students at risk of dropping out or missing national examinations.
It recommended an independent diagnostic review of the education system, a comprehensive national teacher audit, stronger school supervision, targeted interventions for underperforming schools, and the publication of detailed school-level performance data with measurable annual education targets.
The Centre said the WASSCE results should not be viewed merely as examination statistics, warning that they reflect a broader national challenge with serious implications for the future of Gambian youth and the country’s development.