Africa-Press – Gambia. The Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, Dr. Habibatou Drame, has warned that private schools failing to meet acceptable academic standards risk being shut down if they do not improve their performance in national examinations.
Speaking at a ministerial town hall meeting, Dr. Drame said the ministry is reviewing schools’ results over the past five years to assess their performance levels. She stressed that schools charging parents high fees must deliver quality education in return.“I want to know over the past five years the performances of all schools, and we will very soon begin the engagement, especially with the private schools, because we have seen some performances of some schools; if they cannot improve, we will close them down.”
She emphasized that parents are investing heavily in private education and deserve value for money, adding that students should not be disadvantaged by poor teaching standards.
The minister disclosed that she had already directed the ministry’s planning unit to compile data on the academic performance of both public and private schools. The findings, she said, will guide the ministry’s next steps in ensuring accountability and quality across the education sector.
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