Emmanuel Boam, the Member of Parliament for Pru East, has alleged that the erstwhile Akufo-Addo government deliberately allowed widespread cheating during the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) to boost pass rates under the Free SHS.
According to the Pru East MP, under the Akufo-Addo administration, students paid “examination support levies” that facilitated cheating.
He revealed, WASSCE students were allowed to enter examination halls with mobile phones and further alleged that WASSCE performance figures were artificially inflated to create an impression that the Free SHS policy had delivered extraordinary results.
Addressing journalists on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, Emmanuel Boam stated, “There hasn’t been any organised and well-orchestrated examination malpractice than what we saw under the past government. It was properly coordinated between institutions that were compelled to align.”
The Pru East MP also questioned the former government’s policy of assessing headteachers solely on WASSCE outcomes.
He quizzed, “How do you tie the rating of schools to WASSCE results and threaten headteachers with removal when they lack the basic resources to run their institutions?”
“The system was so compromised that students were asked to pay money for examination support, and you had groups of teachers solving questions elsewhere and passing them on to invigilators,” he reiterated his allegations.
His comments follow the 2025 WASSCE result being released by WAEC, which revealed 220,008 out of 461,736 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”.
However, the Ghana Education Service (GES) has said the 2025 WASSCE results accurately reflect student performance.
Part of the GES statement stated, “GES urges the public to disregard the statements made by the former Minister, Dr Adutwum, regarding the 2025 WASSCE results and treat them as an attempt to shift focus from his shortcomings in managing the examination process.
Management of GES views the 2025 WASSCE results as a true reflection of the academic performance of the candidates. The outcome is a credible representation of students’ abilities”.