Accra, Dec. 05, – President John Dramani Mahama has instructed the Minister of Education, Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, to prepare a comprehensive analytical report on the performance of candidates in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
Speaking at the launch of the Made-In-Ghana STEMBox for basic schools in Accra, President Mahama said the recently released WASSCE results had sparked widespread concern among government officials, parents, and the general public.
A STEMBox is a hands-on learning kit containing materials and instructions designed to engage basic school pupils in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics activities.
The President said the Education Minister and the Ghana Education Service (GES) must thoroughly review the examiner’s report to understand what may have gone “so disastrously wrong” with this year’s performance.
“It is mind-boggling that with the same teachers, the same factors in play, just from one batch to another, one batch performs so disastrously. And so we need to get to the bottom of it,” he remarked.
President Mahama linked the situation to long-standing cracks in the country’s basic education system, including delays in disbursing capitation grants and inconsistent attention to foundational learning.
He cautioned that when children are pushed through the education system without mastering essential skills, the weakness only becomes visible at the point of assessment.
“Once you do not get the basic level right, you send the child through a conveyor belt like a factory. And when it comes out at the end, quality control picks it out and says this one did not do well.”
The President emphasised that foundational learning must be restored as a national priority. Children completing primary school, he said, must be able to read, write, and perform basic arithmetic to successfully transition to higher levels of education.
He warned that without strengthening that base, the system would continue to produce students who struggle with basic competencies, including pupils who “finish basic school and sometimes still find it difficult to write their own names.”
On examination integrity, President Mahama affirmed that measures to ensure credible assessments would remain in place:
“Vigilance is not going to go away. Strict invigilation is not going to go away. And so we must make sure that the children are well prepared to, on their own, study and pass the exams that await them.”
He said he had tasked the Education Minister and the Director-General of GES to scrutinise the examiner’s report and recommend immediate reforms to enhance learning outcomes.
Responding to the President’s directive, Mr. Haruna Iddrisu said the Ministry was already reviewing the examiner’s report on the 2025 WASSCE and would provide the necessary response at the appropriate time.
“Our commitment to the provision of quality education under the leadership of President Mahama will remain unparalleled, as the President will demonstrate in the coming days,” he assured.
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