NASSAU, The Bahamas — Minister of Education and Technical and Vocational Training, the Hon. Glenys Hanna-Martin said students taking the Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) exams this year have shown the biggest improvement and 10.5 per cent more students were recommended to take the exams.
“The numbers demonstrate that we have gotten our children back into school. That we are mitigating the effects of the pandemic loss and we are positioning our young people for success,” the Education Minister said during the 2024 National Examination Results Press Conference held at the Ministry on Friday, August, 16, 2024.
She said at the BGCSE level, A grades increased by over 2 per cent over a five-year period; B grades increased by 1.5 per cent over a five-year period; over a .5 per cent increase in C grades and decreases in D, E, F, G grades.
The Minister also noted that the BGCSE grades year over year, 2023 versus 2024, A to C grades increased, while D to G grades decreased. Over half of the students received a grade of A to C.
She said grades of both males and females have improved over five years.
The Minister said, “From 2023 to 2024, females as it relates to A’s, moved from 9.78 per cent to 11.31 per cent, B’s from 13.26 per cent to 13.64 per cent, C grades from 26.42 per cent to 29.14 per cent and there were decreases from D to G.
She said for males, A’s increased from 8.10 per cent to 9.2 per cent, B’s from 10.72 per cent to 11.66 per cent, C’s from 25.2 per cent to 26.92 per cent and D’s to G’s decreased.
Director of Education, Dominique McCartney Russell said 5935 candidates from 107 centres were registered to sit the examination. Forty-one were government schools, while 66 centres were independent/private.
She said the number of candidates represents an increase of 10.05 per cent when compared to 2023, which had a total of 5393 candidates from one hundred 100 centres. The total number of subjects offered is 27.
The Director explained that the grades awarded show candidates’ learning outcomes, which are measured in a variety of different ways, because of the different requirements in individual subjects.
“Due to the significant increase in candidature this year, the number of awarded grades increased significantly when compared to last year. There were 20598 grades awarded this year. This number represents an increase of 9.99% when compared to 2023, which had a total of 18727 grades.”
She said, “It is always interesting to note that again more than 80 per cent, or 84.26 per cent to be exact, of the grades awarded continue to range from A – E, which is now a recurring accomplishment. This percentage is an increase when compared to the previous year and is the highest for this five-year period.
The Director noted that positively and in contrast to last year, the percentages at A – C increased and decreased at D – G. “Unfortunately, the percentage at U also increased but it is still not the highest for this five-year period.”
She explained that the performance of male and females mirrors the overall performance of the BGCSE exams. Both males and females have increased their percentages at A – C, decreased at D – G and increased at U.
The Director said both groups of candidates have made significant improvements to better their performance. “While females continue to edge out males, males have made a higher increase at B and greater decreases at D and F.”
Number of candidates receiving a minimum of grade C in at least five subjects:
She said, in 2024, a total of 653 candidates received a grade of C or higher in five or more subjects. This represents 11.00% of the overall candidature. In 2023, there were 544 candidates which represented 10.09 per cent of the overall candidature.
Number of Candidates receiving a minimum of five subjects or more with grade D or above:
The Director said in 2024, a total of 1009 candidates obtained a minimum grade of D in at least five subjects. This represents 17.00 per cent of the overall candidature. In 2023, there were 901 candidates which represented 16.71 per cent of the overall candidature.
Number of candidates who have received at least grade C in Mathematics, English Language and Science:
She said in 2024, a total of 431 candidates received at least a grade C or better in Mathematics, English Language and a Science subject. This represents 7.26 per cent of the overall candidature. In 2023, there were 303 candidates which represented 5.62 per cent of the overall candidature.
