By Olimatou Coker
The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) has announced Mansa Colley Bojang Senior Secondary School of Brikama Jalanbang as the number one overall-ranked school in The Gambia in the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
Minister for Basic and Secondary Education, Habibatou Drammeh, made the announcement on Friday during a media briefing on the 2026 WASSCE results held at the MoBSE Conference Hall in Banjul.
According to Minister Drammeh, Mansa Colley Bojang Senior Secondary School recorded an outstanding performance, with 97.04% of its 135 candidates achieving five credits or more, including English Language and Mathematics.
The school also recorded a 100% overall credit pass rate, with an average of 8.75 credits per student, securing the top position nationally.
“Building on this national overview, Mansa Colley Bojang Senior Secondary School secured the number one overall ranking in the country in the 2026 WASSCE results,” Minister Drammeh said.
She further announced that Yunus English School SSS Annex (Jamwelly) secured second place overall, recording a 77.78% qualifying pass rate.
She said a total of 27 candidates earned five credits or more, with students averaging 8 credits each.
She explained that Public and grant-aided schools demonstrated “formidable breadth” across the national standings, securing 16 of the top 25 positions. High-volume academic powerhouses Masroor Senior Secodary School (3rd) and Nusrat Senior Secondary School (10th) generated the largest numbers of university-eligible candidates in the country, producing 256 qualifying students each.
“They were joined in the top tier by major regional centres including St Peter’s Technical SSS (11th, 32 37%), Brikama Methodist Academy (12th, 31.65%) Charles Jow Memorial Academy (13th, 24.57%), Sabi SSS (15th, 21.74%), Njawara SSS (16th, 15.00%), Arch-Deacon George Memorial SSS (17th, 15.00%), Sifoe SSS (18th, 14.20%), Numuyel SSS (19th, 13.64%), St Therese’s SSS (21st, 12.12%), St Francis Junior & SSS (22nd, 9.90%), Kuntaya SSS (24th, 7.79%), and Latrikunda Sabiji SSS (25th, 7.36%)” Hon Drammeh said.
She added that private schools accounted for 9 of the top 25 rankings.
Beyond 2nd-ranked Yunus Jamwelly Annex, key private sector performers included Jadu’s Senior Secondary School (4th, 59.26%), Prospect Senior Secondary School (5th, 58.82%), Gambia Methodist Academy (6th, 55.,91%), Future Generation SSS (7th, 55.56%), ABC Senior Secondary School (8th, 54.90%), Unity Comprehensive SSS (9th, 50.00%), Da Vinci SSS (14th, 22.03%), Yunus English School SSS Annex Kotu (20th, 12.50%), and West African International SSS (23rd, 9.38%).
Minister Drammeh said the national results indicate that overall educational performance remains structurally sound, while noting the strong performance recorded in specialised subject areas.
According to MoBSE, female students accounted for 63.62 percent of total candidate enrollment and earned 57.66 percent of the top qualifying benchmarks.
The analysis of the 2026 WASSCE results yet again showed a consistent trend of private schools doing better than public schools in terms of the top grades.