Contact Address Details:
DOSBSE
Gambia Technical Training Institute building
P O Box 989, Banjul
The Gambia,
West Africa
Telephone: 4228232
Fx:
4224180
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Background Information:
The basic
structure of the education system in The Gambia provides for the
expansion of basic education (ECD, Basic Education 1 - 9 and Adult and
Non-formal Education) and Secondary Education.
The formal system is marked by 9 years of continuous basic
education followed by 3 years of senior secondary education and four
years of post-secondary or tertiary and higher education.
The first 9
years of schooling make up the basic education route and is financed
mainly by The Government while secondary school education, which lasts
3 years, is primarily provided by the private sector with grant-aided
schools assisted by Government and managed by school boards.
In line with the Dakar Framework for Action on EFA, the basic
education Programme is composed of the following areas:
• Early Child Care
• Basic Education (from Grades 1-9)
• Adult and Non-Formal Education
Early Child Care & Development (ECCD)
The Gambia Government's Education Policy (2004 – 2015) emphasises the
significance of these formative years, and the DoSBSE has formed
partnerships with Non-governmental organisations, public departments,
local government authorities and local groups to advance and encourage
the cause of Early Childhood Development.
Constraints:
In
Gambia ECD is mostly carried out by private institutions which makes
the issue of cost a main consideration and is a major hurdle for low
income households. This is particularly acute for those families
living in the rural regions where the family structure usually means
that children either work on the farm or a left in the care of the
older generation.
A new teacher training program (Primary Teachers Certificate) for the
training of pre-school teachers has been introduced by the
Gambia
College in order to expand the availability of teachers at this level
of education.
Basic Education (grades 1 – 9)
The Gambia's national education policy (2004 – 2015) envisages a
single, integrated, basic education system encompassing the years 1 to
9 with no transition exam at the end of the lower-basic. This policy
has created a swift growth in the upper basic level.
Upper Basic:
Basic schools cover grades 7,8 and 9. Most schools are either lower or
upper basic, although there are also a number of Basic Cycle Schools
which cover both the lower and upper levels. In these schools, one
head teacher is responsible for the two levels which are housed within
the same premises,
Senior Secondary Level:
There are currently 49 senior
secondary schools, of which 17 are subsidised via grant-in aid, 8 are funded
by the government's budget, and the remainder are private
schools.
Currently new schools in Gambia are being created as public
schools and later changed to grant-aided
schools and handed over to a
Board of Governors.
Information Technology has been introduced
at this level in order to increase students and teachers to the
medium.
Source: Department of
Education
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