Schools opened since the 23rd of September 2024 but the Grade nine results are yet to be released by the West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC). This may have some serious repercussions as the longer it takes the more time these children will lose. It may even mean that they will not be able to cover the required number of hours in the year.
The syllabus is designed in such a way that a child needs to have eight hundred and eighty contact hours with the teacher in order for him/her to pass the exams. Thus, if the delay in the release of the results takes longer, these children – when they get to Grade Ten – will not have the opportunity to cover the entire syllabus.
When therefore they go to Grade Eleven, they will carry along that deficit in contact hours and onward to Grade Twelve. This will certainly impact their performance negatively. Every minute counts and should be used judiciously so as to obtain the desired results. That is what will in turn enable them to enter university and become useful citizens of the country.
What is worrisome is the fact that with all this delay, nothing has been heard from the Government of the Gambia. Rumors have it that the government owes WAEC a lot of money and they have therefore withheld the results. It is the children, who are suffering the consequences of this lack of payment.
It is important that when something like this happens, government quickly comes out and give a detailed and accurate explanation so that the people will understand what is going on. The silence on the part of the government will just fuel the rumors and that ultimately is not good for the image of the country.
But more seriously, the education of the children of the country should not be compromised for whatever reason. The government needs to step up therefore and resolve this issue forthwith.
