Education Minister and member of parliament for Tamale South, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu has described the latest West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results as a “wake-up call” on the quality of education in Ghana, pointing to weaknesses at the basic level and gaps in learning environments.
Speaking in an interview with Bernard Avle on Citi TV, Hon. Iddrisu said the results reflected longstanding challenges in quality improvement, infrastructure and the conditions under which students learn. He noted that stricter supervision during the examinations may also have influenced outcomes, following a zero-tolerance stance on cheating in areas previously flagged for malpractice.
Hon. Iddrisu said he had personally toured parts of the Bono Region, including Babato, Kintampo and Techiman, ahead of the examinations after concerns were raised about widespread irregularities.
Responding to suggestions that tougher invigilation alone explained the results, he said several factors were involved. Citing examiners’ reports being analysed by the Ghana Education Service at the request of President Mahama, Hon. Iddrisu said many candidates struggled with analytical thinking and application.
He highlighted mathematics as a key challenge, noting that candidates had difficulty interpreting and applying information from graphs, which significantly affected overall performance.