By Tabora Bojang
Six young Gambians have been honoured by the West African Examination Council’s national office for their outstanding performance in the 2019 West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination, WASSCE, and the Gambia Basic Education Certificate Examination, GABECE.
The awards was instituted by the WAEC Endowment Fund in 1984 aimed at recognising outstanding performance of students in the Council’s examination at junior and secondary school levels.
WASSCE
All the 3 best awardees for the senior secondary level (WASSCE) are from Nusrat with Muhammed Touray emerging as the overall best student with 9As.
The Council also awarded Edrissa Fatty and Ousman Gaye as 2nd and 3rd best WASSCE students in the country with 6 and 8 As, respectively.
The Nusrat trio were each presented a certificate and cash prizes ranging from D10,000, D12,000 to D15,000 respectively.
GABECE
Meanwhile, Umar Kamara of SOS Hermann Gmeiner Upper Basic gained the highest national score for GABECE.
Daniel Osuoha of St Peters emerged second best and while Ebrima Gajaga from Presentation of Mary Upper Basic Brikama won the third best slot.
They also received cash prizes ranging from D8000, D10,000 to D12,000 respectively.
“The criteria for the awards may be stringent but they are not beyond the reach of our students,” Pa Samba Baldeh, head of WAEC office in Banjul, said at the ceremony.
He further stated that the academic records of the winners show they have been high flyers throughout their academic careers, thus serving as a validation of the Council’s examinations.
Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, Claudiana Cole congratulated the awardees for a “brilliant performance” which she said goes to reveal the level of “determination, hard work and personal sacrifices” they have endured.
She said she was elated to note from the Council authorities that all the awardees had written their examination and achieved their grades “without the slightest” stint of involvement in examination “malpractice.”
