By Momodou Gagigo
The Gambia’s persistent struggle to boost mathematics performance among senior secondary students has been linked to a severe shortage of qualified teachers, according to the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education. Officials warned that the gap continues to hinder students’ success in national examinations.
Basic and Secondary Education Minister Dr. Habibatou Drammeh raised the issue at a press conference on Friday while reviewing the country’s results in the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). Of the roughly 20,000 candidates who sat the exams this year, only 1,556 secured credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
Although mathematics and English still recorded low credit pass rates, Minister Drammeh noted that the latest figures mark an improvement over the previous year. She identified the limited number of Gambians pursuing mathematics-related fields at tertiary and higher education institutions as a core challenge.
“The teacher populations are low,” she said, pointing out that few young people choose mathematics as a career path. This shortage has compelled the ministry to explore alternative and innovative teaching methods while the government works to strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy nationwide.
Rather than addressing learning gaps only at the upper grades, the ministry is prioritizing early intervention. New foundational learning assessments will identify weaknesses in reading, fluency, and mathematics from an early age. These assessments are set to expand to all public Early Childhood Development Centers and Lower Basic Schools starting this September. The goal is to ensure children build solid literacy and numeracy skills before progressing further.
Lower Basic teachers are also receiving structured lesson plans, updated phonics guides and regular classroom coaching to raise teaching quality.
Despite the challenges, Minister Drammeh highlighted that some Gambian schools have demonstrated strong results in mathematics and English. These successes, she argued, prove that effective teaching, committed educators and adequate student support can deliver better outcomes. The ministry will therefore focus on identifying and scaling up practices from high-performing schools.
At the same time, the government plans a firmer stance against underperforming institutions. The government will strengthen monitoring of school results and take appropriate action against schools that repeatedly fall short of acceptable standards.
The shift reflects growing pressure to improve learning outcomes in core subjects. With mathematics remaining a major concern, the strategy now centers on strengthening the foundations of learning, building teacher capacity, and detecting weaknesses well before the examination stage.
For The Gambia to reverse its mathematics performance, sustained investment in mathematics education and stronger incentives for young Gambians to enter the field as teachers will be essential.
