Former Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Dr. Kwabena Bempah Tandoh, has dismissed claims that the double-track system is responsible for the poor performance in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
Speaking in an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Dr. Tandoh said there appears to be misinformation about the relationship between double track and learning outcomes.
“We have not really interrogated the data properly,” he said. “The double-track system started in 2018. It actually increased contact hours for students. First, students spent 1,080 hours in front of a teacher per year, but with double track and adjustments to the academic calendar, they now spend 1,134 hours a year. That is 162 extra hours in a three-year cycle that students spend with teachers.”
Dr. Tandoh stressed that the argument blaming the double-track system for the 2025 results does not hold up when you examine the data.
“The first batch of double-track students started in 2018, and their first exams were in 2021. In 2021, the average score in the four core subjects was about 60 percent; in 2022 it was 63 percent; in 2023, 65 percent; and in 2024, 68 percent. So if the double-track system was truly the cause of the poor performance, why were results acceptable for the past four years?” he asked.
His comments come in response to claims by the President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu, who said he was not surprised by the widespread poor performance in the 2025 WASSCE, insisting that the double-track system disrupted academic consistency for students over the years.
Dr. Tandoh argued that it is ultimately the contact hours between learners and teachers that matter.
“At the end of the day, it’s about the interaction between the learner and the teacher. The idea that double track is the problem is wrong. We need to interrogate the data very well before drawing conclusions,” he said.
He added that his concern now is ensuring that the quality of human capital produced by the education system remains high.
“Our focus should be on improving the quality of teaching and learning so that Ghana produces well-prepared graduates,” he concluded.
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