Last week, the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) released the 2025 results, sparking intense debate across the country.
After years of impressive pass rates under the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy, this year’s results show a sharp decline.
Passes in Core Mathematics dropped from 66.86% in 2024 to 48.73%, while Social Studies fell from 71.53% to 55.82%. English Language and Integrated Science recorded marginal declines but remained relatively stable.
For many observers, this downturn raises a critical question: Is this a sign of falling quality in our schools, or the result of a deliberate crackdown on examination malpractice?
To me, this decline is not a failure — it is a necessary correction.
A historic surge in infractions
Between 2017 and 2024, WASSCE results were plagued by systemic malpractice, with West African Examinations Council (WAEC) data showing disturbing trends. From 2021 to 2024 alone, 146,309 candidates were implicated in cheating schemes. Cheating cases increased more than sixfold — from 10,386 in 2021 to 62,046 in 2024.
In 2024, 13.6% of all candidates were involved in exam malpractices.
The most common infractions included collusion, smuggling of foreign materials, impersonation, and widespread digital leaks through WhatsApp and Telegram.
WAEC’s five-year statistics further show that over 532,000 subject results were withheld, and nearly 39,000 cancelled in 2024 alone. Dozens of entire results were annulled each year.
Despite these alarming numbers, prosecutions were rare — until recently.
A renewed push for integrity
Ahead of this year’s exams, the Ghana Education Service (GES) and Ministry of Education announced a strict zero-tolerance stance on cheating. Invigilators and supervisors were warned that aiding malpractice would lead to instant dismissal. Candidates were urged to rely on their own preparation rather than leaked materials.
This time, WAEC followed through.
The 2025 results show that subject results for 6,295 candidates were cancelled, entire results for 653 candidates annulled, and hundreds more withheld.
Investigations into alleged collusion in 185 schools are ongoing. So far, 35 people — including 19 teachers — have been prosecuted, with 19 convicted.
This level of enforcement is unprecedented and stands in sharp contrast to previous years when civil society groups like Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) repeatedly raised concerns with little consequence.
For too long, we allowed a culture of shortcuts to thrive just to project a certain image of success.
Eduwatch’s Executive Director, Mr. Kofi Asare, has often argued that unrealistic performance targets for schools and political pressure to portray Free SHS as overwhelmingly successful fuelled widespread cheating. He urged the use of technology — such as CCTV in exam halls — to restore credibility.
Free SHS and the quality debate
The Free SHS policy significantly expanded access and removed financial barriers for thousands of families. As someone who understands the impact of poverty on education, I fully appreciate this progress. It is partly why I have supported many brilliant but needy students to further their education.
However, critics argue that the rush for quantity under Free SHS — and the pressure to always defend the programme — has prevented honest conversations about quality.
University lecturers have raised concerns about foundational gaps among some Free SHS graduates. In September 2024, Professor Martin Oteng-Ababio lamented that universities were “sacrificing quality for quantity” due to overcrowded lecture halls and underprepared students.
This year’s WASSCE results may reflect a system adjusting from inflated grades to genuine merit — a view echoed by both GES and the Ministry of Education.
That is why the 2025 results are not a failure but a painful and necessary correction.
Why academic integrity matters
Education is the bedrock of national development. When certificates lose credibility, employers question competence, universities lower standards, and the entire workforce suffers.
Ghana cannot afford to produce what the nonprofit LEADIF once described as “excellent grades but hollow minds.”
Integrity in assessment ensures that success is earned. It builds confidence, rewards hard work, and produces graduates capable of innovation and leadership.
For businesspeople and education advocates like some of us, this is the moment to prioritise quality over quantity and invest in teacher training, smaller class sizes, and technology that supports fair learning.
The way forward
While it is important to identify the root causes of the 2025 WASSCE performance, we must detach politics from the conversation and focus on rebuilding an education system that earns the trust of Ghanaians and global stakeholders.
Going forward, Ghana must:
- Maintain a strong crackdown on malpractice with transparent sanctions
- Invest in high-quality teaching through training and better resources
- Reduce class sizes for improved learning outcomes
- Strengthen supervision and adopt technology to curb cheating
- Remove partisan influence from education policy
At this turning point, one truth remains clear: discipline and integrity are non-negotiable if we seek to raise a generation capable of driving national progress.
The real question is not whether the drop in performance is embarrassing — but whether we have the courage to embrace it as the price of restoring credibility to our education system.
The writer is a philanthropist and businessman.
