By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Union of Teachers president Belinda Wilson has blasted the country’s national examination results, accusing the government of continuing to “regurgitate dismal BJC and BGCSE national examination results”.

She said it was no longer acceptable for Education Minister Glenys Hanna Martin to cite the COVID-19 pandemic as the main explanation for poor outcomes. She questioned what had happened to the remedial programmes the minister previously announced, saying teachers have received no updates on whether those initiatives have succeeded or failed.

She argued the weak results reflect systemic failings, including teacher shortages, lack of materials, poor use of data, and a curriculum suited only to the top 15 to 20 percent of students. She called for urgent reforms such as expanding technical and vocational subjects and fully adopting City & Guilds examinations so graduates leave school certified and job-ready.

“I impress upon Minister Glenys Hanna Martin and the officials at the ministry/Department of Education to take their heads out of the sand and face the reality that the education system needs an overhaul,” Mrs Wilson said in a statement. “Also face the reality that in order for change to be successful all stakeholders including the Bahamas Union of Teachers must be at the table. Without drastic changes, we will continue to see unacceptable examination results.”

This year’s BGCSE outcomes again hovered near the “D average”. Of the 1,684 candidates who sat five or more subjects, 627 (37.2 percent) earned at least five C grades or better, while 970 (57.6 percent) achieved five D grades or above. Across all 6,103 registrants, that translates to only about ten to 16 percent, though officials noted this figure understates achievement since many students take exams over multiple sittings. Just 375 candidates — 22.3 percent of those sitting five or more subjects, or about six percent of all registrants — earned at least a C in mathematics, English and a science.

Mathematics remained one of the weakest subjects, with fewer than half of candidates earning grades A–D. Biology and bookkeeping and accounts also recorded poor performance, while English language fared better. Students performed strongest in practical and creative areas such as art and design, food and nutrition and music. Although 6,103 students registered for the BGCSE, up 2.9 percent from 2024, the number of grades awarded slipped slightly from 20,616 to 20,595, meaning candidates sat fewer subjects on average. Both males and females slipped at C and D, while males saw a slight rise at A and females fell. Both genders increased at E, F and U.

Several schools reported GPA improvements, including AF Adderley, DW Davis, Government High and CC Sweeting in New Providence, and Eight Mile Rock High, Tabernacle Baptist, Central Andros High, Queen’s College, Aquinas College and St Augustine’s College.

At the BJC level, of the 3,392 candidates who sat five or more subjects, 1,316 (38.8 percent) earned at least five C grades or better, while 1,788 (52.7 percent) achieved five D grades or above. For the 10,478 total registrants, those figures drop to about 13 to 17 percent. Some 1,251 candidates — 36.9 percent of those sitting five or more subjects, or about 12 percent of all registrants — earned at least a C in mathematics, English and a science.

Overall, 87.22 percent of all BJC grades were between A and F, with no subject below 50 percent at grades A–D. English language and mathematics remained the most heavily subscribed exams. Participation fell slightly to 10,478 candidates, down 2.94 percent from 2024, while the number of grades awarded dropped from 39,455 to 37,220, again showing students sat fewer subjects. Officials reported GPA improvements across several public and private schools in New Providence and the Family Islands.