She made the remarks on Monday at the Mansa Kunda Ministerial Town Hall, where she described education as the cornerstone of national development.
Minister Drammeh revealed that student enrollment has risen from 710,504 in 2020 to 830,895 in 2025, marking a 17 percent increase, with more girls now in school. She credited the ministry’s Early Warning System, which tracks students at risk of dropping out, for helping to keep thousands of children in classrooms. The initiative has attracted international recognition through the Zero Out-of-School Children 2.0 programme.
“In every corner of The Gambia, classrooms are no longer just walls they are doors to opportunity,” Drammeh told the gathering.
According to the minister, 387 new classrooms were constructed in 2025 alone, averaging 11 per week, while over 115,000 pieces of school furniture have been supplied to improve conditions in both urban and rural schools. To attract and retain teachers in remote areas, she said, the government has built 2,169 teacher quarters across all eight regions, with Upper River and North Bank receiving the largest share.
Minister Drammeh also reported that teacher qualification rates have climbed to nearly 100 percent at all levels, supported by enhanced training programmes and the creation of the first Teacher Service Commission to enforce professional standards. “Teachers are the architects of our future, and investing in them is non-negotiable,” she declared.
On curriculum reforms, Dr Drammeh announced the introduction of a competency-based curriculum to be piloted through 2026, a new Language in Education Policy that will promote teaching in national languages during early grades, and the reintroduction of Civic Education to strengthen tolerance, diversity, and civic responsibility among students.
The minister further underscored the government’s commitment to the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, with funding increasing from D30 million in 2019 to D166 million in 2025. She announced that118,000 students now benefit from the initiative which provides jobs for nearly 1,000 cooks, while partnerships with WFP and Catholic Relief Services extend meals to more than 328,000 children nationwide.
“These numbers are not just statistics, they are lives changed, futures secured, and a nation rising,” Dr Drammeh declared. “The Path to progress is a promise that every Gambian child is seen, valued and given the foundation to thrive.
