The government has strongly rejected claims that it is responsible for the significant decline in performance in the 2025 West Africa Senior Schools Certificate Examination (WASSCE). Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu stated that the John Mahama-led administration will not accept blame for the sharp drop, which has drawn public criticism.
Speaking after the inauguration of governing councils for four Colleges of Education at the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), the Tamale South MP described the poor performance as a wake-up call. He called for a thorough assessment of secondary education to improve quality.
“I refuse to accept that the government of President Mahama and the Ministry of Education and the assessment body will accept responsibility for those poor performers,” Haruna Iddrisu said. “Rather, it should be a wake-up call on all of us to do an assessment of where we are with the state of our secondary education in Ghana.”
He highlighted infrastructure challenges, noting that since the launch of Free Senior High School in 2008, many institutions have not seen new classrooms or dormitories despite exponential increases in student numbers. This, he said, has adversely affected the quality of education delivery.
According to the minister, the West African Examinations Council’s report indicated that many students struggled because they relied on memorization rather than applying or analytically engaging with what they learned, particularly in mathematics.
He further revealed that many students had reduced contact hours with teachers due to the double-track system, which impacts learning outcomes.
On the double-track system, Haruna Iddrisu disclosed that the government has secured $200 million from the World Bank to end the system. A significant portion of the funds will be invested in infrastructure projects to improve educational quality.
“I should commend St. Peter’s School in Kwahu as one of the first schools that have been able to end double track. So I’m going to reward them with infrastructure for going ahead of government with their own intervention to end double track system. ” he said.
He added plans to convert 30 category C schools to B, and 10 category B schools to A, while also expanding infrastructure in category A schools.
The minister also highlighted regional disparities in school categories, noting that there are no category A schools in the Northeast, Savannah, and Oti regions, calling on stakeholders and traditional leaders to work with the government to address this.
