EDUCATION.
Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER)- 71.7% in 1998/99 from 59% in 1990. 61% of
girls and 79% of boy of primary school going age are enrolled. Government
junior secondary schools increase from 12 24 accounting for an increase in
transition from 30% in 1990 to 70% by 1996/97. Gross enrollment rose from
22% to 39% during the period under review. Gross enrollment in senior
secondary schools increased from 11% to 15% during the same period.

The proportion of qualified teachers in primary schools has increased from
54% in 1991/92 to 67% in 19997/98. In 1992/93 53% of female teachers were
qualified against 56% for their male counterparts. In 1997/98 the figure was
68% for female teachers against 67% for male taechers. Financing of
education rose from 98 million Dalasis in 1990/91 to 174 million Dalasis in
1996/97. 5.2% of real GDP is spent on education over the period under review
(Subsaharan Africa's average is 4.2%). Pre-school institutions increased
from 55 in 1988 to 125 in 1995 and to 265 in 1998. Currently the university
of The Gambia is enrolling about 300 students per annum.

HEALTH.
Infant and uder five mortality rate is 85 and 137 per 1000 respectively and
are the lowest in the sub-region next to senegal (63 and 120 per 1000) which
has a per capita income twice that of Gambia. Between 60 and 80 per cent of
the population live within the catchment area of village health services
while abou 90% live within 7.5 Km of a health facility. The number of
Doctors for the population increased from about 10 in 1992/92 to 262 in
1998/99. There are 972 nurses for a population of about 1.3 million and a
population per bed ratio of 872 in 1997. Acess to safe drinking water has
risen from 23% in 1983 to 79% in 2000. Percentage of one year olds fully
immunized against Tubarculosis stands at 96.8% while those fully immunized
against Measles stands at 83.4%. The incidense of aids is at 0.42 per 1,000
people. overall the number of Aids cases has increased from 544 in December
1997 to 606 in June 1998 and 1,000 in 1999 showing a cumulative increase of
84%. So far about 1,000 people have died of the disease since 1986. With
Maternal mortality rate of 1,050 per 100,000 of life births it is one of the
highest in the world. Maternal mortality rate for is 577 per 100,000 live
births in 1996. Between the periods of 1990/91 and 19998/99 total government
expenditure on increased by nearly 61% from about 60 million Dalasis to
about 96.5 million Dalasis in 1998/99. This represents about nine percent of
total government recurrent expenditure.

Have a good day, Gassa.

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