President John Dramani Mahama has expressed deep concern over the significant drop in the 2025 WASSCE performance and has directed the Ministry of Education to investigate the causes behind the decline.
Speaking at the launch of the STEMBox initiative for primary schools, he described the results as “mind-boggling,” noting that the same teaching conditions existed in previous years when performance was far better. He stressed that the situation is troubling for government, parents, and the general public.
Mahama instructed the Minister of Education to conduct a detailed review of the examiners’ report and determine what led to the dramatic fall in results.
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) revealed major declines in several core subjects, especially Core Mathematics and Social Studies. Passes in Core Mathematics dropped sharply from 305,132 in 2024 to 209,068 in 2025—an over 96,000 dip—resulting in an overall pass rate of 48.73%. This means more than half of all candidates did not achieve the grades required for tertiary admission.
Chief examiners indicated that the poor outcomes stemmed not from the exam questions but from weaknesses in students’ foundational skills. Many candidates struggled with interpreting mathematical diagrams, solving real-life math problems, constructing cumulative frequency tables, and analyzing data. In Social Studies, candidates had difficulty explaining government policies, discussing how extravagant funerals affect national development, and describing Ghana’s partnerships with UN agencies.
