By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

DEPUTY Prime Minister and Minister of Education Chester Cooper has called the country’s 33.3 percent BGCSE Mathematics pass rate “simply not acceptable” after performance in the subject deteriorated sharply again this year.

Only one in three students passed Mathematics in the 2026 examinations, while the number earning grades A through D fell by 14.1 percent compared with last year.

“I am particularly concerned that the BGCSE Mathematics pass rate declined to 33.3 per cent,” Mr Cooper said. “One in three students passing is simply not acceptable.”

The result emerged as education officials reported modest improvement overall in the national examinations, but acknowledged that much of the progress came from increases in C and D grades while the proportion of top A and B grades declined.

Education Director Dominique McCartney-Russell said Mathematics remained the most significant concern in this year’s BGCSE results.

She said a ministry study examining a decade of declining Mathematics performance identified poor student engagement, maths anxiety, weaknesses among some teachers and insufficient practical, hands-on learning among the problems affecting achievement.

Mrs McCartney-Russell said parents’ own negative attitudes towards Mathematics could contribute to students’ anxiety.

She also said some primary school teachers, who are responsible for teaching several subjects, had acknowledged that Mathematics was not their strongest area. The ministry has provided additional support, including through a maths lab.

Mr Cooper said he had accepted recommendations for a targeted review of the results to determine what was driving the decline and what changes were required.

“Math is critical to our students’ future and to the skills our country needs,” he said.

The Davis administration is developing a strategy to address performance gaps, particularly in Mathematics, with its broad outlines expected to be released before the end of September.

The Mathematics results overshadowed incremental gains elsewhere in the examinations.

Of the 6,169 candidates registered for BGCSE examinations, 2,002 sat five or more subjects. Only 649 of them — about 32.4 percent — earned at least five C grades or better.

That was up from 627 candidates last year, but still meant roughly two-thirds of candidates taking five or more subjects did not achieve at least five passes at grade C or above.

The overall proportion of A-D grades edged up to 71.49 percent.

Mr Cooper described the results as showing “modest overall improvement” and congratulated education officials, teachers, students and parents who performed well.

“Our schools continue to produce outstanding young Bahamians, and we should celebrate them,” he said. “But we must also be frank about where we are falling short.”

He said the education system would continue working to improve outcomes for students.

“Accordingly, we will commend the progress, confront the weaknesses and do the work necessary to improve the future of our students and our Bahamas,” he said.