The calls were made at the maiden Educational Times Dialogue, organised by Ghana Reads Initiative
Mounting concern over falling academic standards has triggered fresh calls for sweeping reforms in Ghana’s education sector, following the release of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results, which stakeholders say expose deep-rooted weaknesses in supervision, foundational learning and examination integrity.
The calls were made at the maiden Educational Times Dialogue, organised by the Ghana Reads Initiative in collaboration with Adwinsa Publications Limited to commemorate the International Day of Education on January 26, 2026.
The forum convened civil society organisations, parent associations and private school operators to interrogate the latest WASSCE outcomes and propose practical solutions.
The National Director of the Ghana Reads Initiative, Albert Koomson, said the dialogue was intended to shift the education reform debate from rhetoric to evidence-based action.
“We will compile a communiqué from the proposals and submit it to the Minister of Education and the Ghana Education Service, and ensure follow-up on the recommendations,” he stated.
The National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) also blamed the poor performance on weak basic education, deteriorating infrastructure, low teacher motivation and student indiscipline.
Its General Secretary, Gapson Kofi Raphael, called for comprehensive teacher retraining, improved supervision and stronger parental engagement, warning that institutionalised cheating was eroding public confidence in the school system.
From the private sector, Samuel Osei, Director of Finance at the Ghana National Council of Private Schools, urged policymakers to diversify academic pathways and introduce diagnostic assessments to better identify students’ abilities, rather than relying exclusively on high-stakes examinations.
Chairperson of the Ghana Reads Initiative, Madam Tina Aforo-Yeboah, described the 2025 WASSCE outcomes as a “wake-up call,” citing sharp declines in Mathematics and Social Studies, and called for bold,
Presenting findings from a post-examination monitoring exercise, Kwasi Nimo Jnr, Programme Officer at Africa Education Watch, revealed that although tighter security measures had significantly reduced large-scale question leakages, examination malpractice remained pervasive at the centre level.
“In over 70 per cent of cases, irregularities were recorded in five or more subjects, despite the decline in leakages,” he said, attributing the problem largely to collusion among teachers, invigilators and candidates.
Nimo further disclosed that only about 20 percent of examination supervisors were directly appointed and resourced by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), with the majority drawn from the Ghana Education Service (GES), a practice he said created conflicts of interest and weakened oversight.
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