Kadjebi: The 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results released by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) have sparked widespread discussion among major stakeholders following a noticeable increase in the number of failing candidates compared to previous years.
According to Ghana News Agency, stakeholders in the Kadjebi District offered varying perspectives on the causes of the decline in performance. Some insisted the results were a more accurate reflection of students' actual academic abilities, while others blamed systemic challenges within the education sector. Mr. Killian Ahiadorme, a professional teacher, noted that examination malpractices had drastically reduced, reflecting the true strength of the candidates. He alleged that in past examinations, some invigilators, particularly those teaching in the same schools where the exams were written, often aided candidates, artificially boosting performance.
Corroborating this view, Togbe Satsi III, also a teacher, said the stricter monitoring regime introduced during the examination significantly contributed to the outcome. He mentioned that the change in government brought increased vigilance among examination officials, many of whom previously felt relaxed and permissive during invigilation. This heightened caution affected students who had become accustomed to lax supervision. Togbe Satsi further pointed to low teacher motivation as a major factor undermining academic performance, explaining that many teachers felt neglected, under-resourced, and demoralized, conditions that negatively impacted teaching quality and student readiness for national examinations.
Other educationists and community members expressed similar concerns, highlighting inadequate teaching and learning materials, limited contact hours, and declining discipline among some students as contributing factors. They called for a national dialogue to address what they described as a 'worrying and worsening trend,' warning that if the underlying issues were not confronted holistically, the country's educational outcomes might continue to decline.
Stakeholders appealed to the government, teacher unions, and education authorities to collaborate on reforms that would improve teacher welfare, strengthen supervision, and provide adequate learning resources to ensure better performance in future WASSCE examinations. More than 461,736 candidates from 1,021 schools registered for the 2025 WASSCE examination, with about 5,821 candidates absent. WAEC cancelled subjects of 6,295 candidates for bringing foreign materials to the examination hall, and results of 653 candidates were cancelled for possession of mobile phones in the examination hall. Additionally, results from 185 schools were withheld for alleged collusion, and nearly 1 out of 4 candidates failed Core Mathematics and Social Studies.