The Centre for Education Policy and Management (CEPM) has expressed worry over the sharp drop in performance in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). The think tank says the provisional results released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) point to serious management challenges within the secondary education system.
In a statement issued in Accra, CEPM said the decline is not due to lack of access under the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy, but the result of poor administration and weak support systems in schools.
Fewer passes recorded
The analysis by CEPM compared the 2025 results with those from 2024 and found significant drops in the number of students who obtained grades A1 to C6 in the core subjects.
According to the think tank:
Core Mathematics recorded 96,064 fewer passes.
Social Studies recorded 77,715 fewer passes.
Integrated Science and English Language also recorded declines.
In all, CEPM noted that close to 250,000 fewer students achieved the grades required for entry into tertiary institutions.
The group described the development as “a major setback” to the country’s human capital growth.
Identified causes
CEPM attributed the poor performance to a number of administrative and operational challenges that it says affected teaching and learning during the year.
These include:
Lack of academic support
Schools did not receive Academic Intervention Grants, which are normally used to finance remedial classes and extra tuition. Teacher development programmes, including training sessions with WAEC Chief Examiners, were also not provided.
Delayed funding
Funds meant for feeding and essential school administration were released late. CEPM said this created food shortages and affected the ability of schools to buy important teaching and learning materials.
Infrastructure and logistics gaps
The statement added that some school projects remained uncompleted, leading to overcrowding. Others continued to face shortages of textbooks, science laboratory items and basic ICT tools.
Increase in examination irregularities
CEPM also highlighted concerns about examination integrity.
WAEC cancelled entire results for 653 candidates due to mobile phone use and cancelled the subject results of thousands more for carrying unauthorised materials. Thirty-five individuals are currently facing prosecution for their involvement in examination malpractice.
Call for action
CEPM warned that the quality of Free SHS is now under pressure and called on the Ministry of Education to take urgent steps to restore stability.
The think tank recommended that government:
Establish a dedicated fund to support quality-enhancement activities such as extra classes, science laboratory upkeep and teacher training.
Release funds to schools on time to ensure smooth administration and feeding.
Speed up the completion of ongoing school infrastructure projects to ease congestion.
It also urged the ministry to strengthen teacher development programmes, improve access to teaching resources and ensure strict enforcement of examination rules.
Conclusion
CEPM stressed that Ghana cannot afford a situation where high enrolment is followed by poor academic outcomes. It called for stronger management and closer supervision of the secondary education system to protect the future of students and safeguard the gains made under the Free SHS policy.
