The aim of the UNICEF Gambia Education Program is achieving an inclusive education system that is equipped to provide comprehensive early childhood education to all children, in conjunction with health, nutrition and protection interventions, and to ensure the rights of all children to appropriate quality education.

Our education programme seeks to ensure that all children aged 0 to 6 years benefit from formal and informal quality early learning opportunities for enhanced school readiness. This is done through supporting policies and strategies on preschool education, sufficient evidence-based data and budgetary support; review and revision of existing early childhood development programmes; training of preschool facilitators and caregivers; parenting education and family support programmes; and the integration of preschool with interventions, including stimulation practices in health, nutrition and protection at the community level.

Our education programme also focuses on marginalized and excluded children who could not benefit from education services. The exclusion may be due to disabilities, gender, access or social norms and values of the families.

Key highlights

• Increase in ECD enrolment from 26 percent to 52 per cent   
• Gender parity in enrolment attained at primary and junior secondary levels
• All tuition fees in public schools eliminated up to senior secondary level
• More than 95 per cent of primary school teachers attained initial teacher training
• Walking distance to schools reduced to 3 kilometers (primary) and 5 kilometers (secondary)
• Minimum standards for facilities and learning outcomes developed
• Increased community involvement and advocacy through School Management Committees and Mother’s Clubs
• Annual publication of the Education Management Information System (EMIS) report