[{"bbox": [96, 153, 1134, 340], "category": "Text", "text": "teaching. In 2023, only 23.4% of boys and 19.8% of girls had a pass (including credit) in mathematics. The government's agenda of transforming The Gambia College (school of education) and the University of The Gambia (school of education) into a full fledge University of Education, is a crucial step towards The Gambia's higher education reform agenda, ensuring the provision of quality and relevant teacher training, school management and planning programmes. This transformation drive will significantly expand access to tertiary and higher education in The Gambia and ensure the provision of competent teachers, education managers, and planners."}, {"bbox": [96, 365, 1134, 525], "category": "Text", "text": "In 2023, in The Gambia's SSE 626 boys and 1,819 girls are classified under special needs. At The Gambia College, out of the 12 students categorised under blind and low vision, 9 are males and 3 are females and out of the 10 students categorised under hard of hearing, 3 are males and 7 are females. The Gambia College currently has one albino and one physically challenged students enrolled at the school of education. Presently, in The Gambia there are few formal special resource centres providing educational services to children and youth with disabilities. These centres cater for those who are visually impaired, hard of hearing and have learning difficulties."}, {"bbox": [96, 551, 1134, 684], "category": "Text", "text": "Exclusion of children with disabilities from education has an adverse economic impact at the family, community, and country level. The schooling deficit experienced by children with disabilities can become the most challenging impediment to earning an income and long-run financial health as adults. Recent studies show a positive wage return on education for children with disabilities, while the costs of exclusion of persons with disabilities from the labour market range from 3% to 7% of a country's GDP.¹³"}, {"bbox": [96, 710, 1134, 870], "category": "Text", "text": "At central and regional levels, the current MoBSE Education Management Information System (EMIS) generates data for policy and operational level decisions. However, the EMIS is highly centralised, aggregate, and paper based with critical imitations in the overall system, including at SSE level. As a result, some of the key indicators (e.g. pupils per teacher ratios, enrolment of student by field of study) may be irrelevant at the senior level due to the lack of key data. As such, the EMIS is not fully unable to advise targeted learning or teacher placement/deployment at the senior secondary level."}, {"bbox": [96, 895, 1134, 1134], "category": "Text", "text": "The education systems is impacted by climate change, notably floods and storms. During 2008-2023, at least 15 extreme events were recorded in the Gambia, leading to approximately 75,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). As of end 2022, there were more than 7,000 IDPs due to climatic events. This trend is likely to increase due to the impact of climate change. The promotion of digital tools (such as SD cards with pre-loaded lessons) offer viable technical solutions that will allow continuity –in schooling in such climatic events. This was piloted during the COVID-19 pandemic and now needs to be expanded. In addition, extreme weather conditions such as high temperatures in rural areas, affect the tools for digitalisation as well as the laboratory equipment and reagents (used for science classes). As a result, the programme will contribute to Disaster Risk Reduction (mitigating risks linked to climatic events or possible pandemics)."}, {"bbox": [96, 1161, 1134, 1215], "category": "Text", "text": "**Identification of main stakeholders (duty bearers, right holders) and corresponding institutional and/or organisational issues (mandates, potential roles, and capacities) to be covered by the action:** ¹⁴"}, {"bbox": [96, 1241, 1134, 1374], "category": "Text", "text": "**Duty bearers:** The principal public sector duty bearers are (i) the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE), which oversees all general education in conjunction with Regional Education Directorates (RED's), including grant aided schools, private schools and Madrasas (Arabic schools) and (ii) the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (MoHERST), which oversees tertiary institutions, including The Gambia College which has responsibilities for teacher training."}, {"bbox": [96, 1400, 1134, 1453], "category": "Text", "text": "**Rights holders:** Civil society organisations such as teacher and learner associations, sector-professional associations, social partners, youth and women's organisations, organizations of people with disabilities (Gambia"}, {"bbox": [86, 1523, 712, 1550], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹³ Disability-Inclusive Education in Africa Program (worldbank.org)"}, {"bbox": [86, 1549, 1137, 1621], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁴ webgate.ec.europa.eu/intpa-academy/mod/scorm/player.php?a=582&currentorg=articulate_rise&scoid=1784&sesskey=qRDx2hfRoN&display=popups&mode=normal"}, {"bbox": [1130, 1654, 1144, 1675], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "9"}]