Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the former Education Minister under the Nana Akufo-Addo-led New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, has explained why some top schools continue to dominate the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
According to Dr Adutwum, students at top schools like PRESEC benefit from teachers who serve as examiners and markers.
He explained that these teachers provide their students with a deeper understanding of how to answer questions to meet WAEC standards.
Speaking in an exclusive interview on Hot 93.9FM’s ‘Hot Morning Drive’, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum stated, “Top schools like PRESEC, their teachers are examiners, so they had the insight that propelled them to do better than those whose teachers were not”.
In related news, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has disclosed that he was not surprised that the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results were bad compared to previous years.
According to Dr Adutwum, the Akufo-Addo government used to pay teachers for extra classes to prepare WASSCE candidates, but the current Mahama government discontinued it.
Dr Adutwum further highlighted that claims that the 2025 WASSCE results were bad due to the Ghana Education Service and other authorities stopping exam malpractices are not factual.
He disclosed that in 2025 6000 subjects were cancelled compared to 4000 in 2024.
Speaking during an interview on JOYNEWS, Dr Adutwum explained, “We used to pay teachers to teach extra classes to prepare the students, but this government discontinued paying the teachers for that aspect. So, to me, I was not surprised that we got the results that we got. What I was surprised by was when I heard in the news that somehow the students didn’t do well because they had stopped cheating.
Then I went to check the number of exams that were cancelled, and this year, 6000 subjects were cancelled compared to 4000 in 2024, so it could not be true”.
It will be recalled that the 2025 WASSCE result released by WAEC revealed 220,008 out of 461,736 students failed Core Mathematics, marking the worst performance in the subject in seven years.
Also, “only 48.73% of candidates attained grades A1 to C6 in 2025. This represents a massive collapse from the 66.86% achieved in 2024. A total of 209,068 candidates passed with A1-C6, but 114,872 candidates (26.77%) failed the subject outright with an F9 grade.
Additionally, 131,097 students (30.27%) failed English Language, 161,606 students (39.87%) failed Integrated Science, and 196727 students (44%) failed Social Studies.
A total of 1,021 schools registered candidates for the examination, representing a slight 0.24% increase over 2024, while 5,821 candidates (1.26%) were absent.
Meanwhile, a total of 509,862 candidates are sitting for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), starting with Oral English today, May 13, 2026.
According to statistics from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the figure comprises 225,274 males and 284,588 females.
Reports suggest the Ashanti Region recorded the highest number of candidates, with 127,702 students, followed by the Eastern Region, with 70,099.
The Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions collectively accounted for 67,739 candidates.
In the Central Region, 61,303 candidates were recorded, while the Greater Accra Region had 48,099 candidates.
The Volta Region, 41,622 candidates, with Oti Region and Western North together, accounted for 35,620 candidates sitting for the exams.
The Northern, North East and Savannah regions recorded 33,155 candidates, with the Upper East Region having 15,192 candidates.
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