WASSCE results: We inherited a challenged educational system, we’ll fix it – Dr. Apaak

Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Clement Abas Apaak, says there are challenges in the country’s education system, and the current administration is determined to fix it following the release of the provisional 2025 WASSCE results, promising collaborative efforts to address the crisis.

He made the remarks while addressing delegates at the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) 14th National Delegates Conference held at Tyco Hotel in Sunyani on Wednesday.

Speaking at the four-day conference themed “Ensuring Teacher Safety Through Effective Discipline in Ghanaian Schools: The Role of Stakeholders,” Dr. Apaak noted that the education sector faces serious systemic issues that predate the current government.

“As teachers and those of us who know the truth, we will admit that our educational system is severely challenged. It is no secret. In fact, we argued then in opposition and still maintain now, we are in government that we inherited a crisis.

“But we are willing to admit the challenges and to work with stakeholders like yourselves to address these challenges so that we can have a system we believe we deserve to help us produce the requisite human capital fit for purpose and to survive in this 21st century,” he remarked.

He emphasized that while the government inherited a crisis, it is committed to working with teachers and other stakeholders to reform the system.

“We will not run away from the challenges. We admit, and we know we cannot resolve the challenges alone, but together with stakeholders, we believe very strongly that we will make progress,” he stated.

The provisional WASSCE 2025 results revealed a worrying surge in outright failures (Grade F9) across all four core subjects. The failure rate in Core Mathematics nearly quadrupled from 6.10% in 2024 to 26.77% in 2025. Social Studies saw its F9 rate jump from 9.55% to 27.50%, while Integrated Science failures rose from 7.12% to 16.05%.

Even the English Language recorded a significant increase, with the F9 rate moving from 5.88% to 12.86%. Analysts have described these figures as a dramatic downturn in foundational knowledge, highlighting the urgent need for reforms.

Dr. Apaak underscored that the government’s strategy involves collaborating closely with teachers to strengthen teaching quality, improve student outcomes, and build a system capable of producing human capital suited for the 21st century.

The NAGRAT conference, which brings together teachers from across the country, provided a platform for dialogue on school discipline, teacher safety, and systemic reforms necessary to address the educational challenges reflected in the recent examination results.

The government intends to leverage such engagements with NAGRAT to implement measures that would reduce failure rates and enhance learning outcomes nationwide.