The Minority in Parliament has criticised the Ghana Education Service (GES) over its explanation for the sharp decline in the 2025 WASSCE results, describing the justification as “embarrassing” and accusing the service of blaming students unfairly.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, December 3, the caucus argued that the GES rushed to rationalise the poor performance without reviewing the Chief Examiners’ Reports. They highlighted declines across all four core subjects: English fell to 69%, Mathematics dropped sharply to 48.73%, Integrated Science slipped to 57.74%, and Social Studies recorded 55.82%, compared to 2024 scores of 69.52%, 66.86%, 58.77%, and 71.53% respectively.
The Minority expressed particular concern over the steep fall in Mathematics, which had consistently improved between 2022 and 2024. They warned that the “unfortunate and unacceptable” outcome requires urgent examination and corrective action.
They criticised the GES for attributing the drop to “candidates’ natural abilities” and heightened invigilation, questioning: “How do you come to that conclusion when you have not even examined the Chief examiners’ reports?” The caucus said fear induced by strict supervision should not negatively affect learning outcomes and criticised the GES for failing to consider other contributing factors.
The statement called on the Ministry of Education and GES to take immediate steps to reverse the decline, particularly in Mathematics, and urged leaders to “provide effective leadership that accepts responsibility and not engage in blame games.”
The statement was signed by Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Parliament.