Kofi Tonto, the National Communications Member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has slammed the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government over its failure to deliver on its promise to reset Ghana’s education sector.
The NPP man’s comments come on the heels of the chaos at the National Placement Resolution Centre at GNAT Hall with parents seeking solutions to their challenges with the 2026 Computerised School Selection Placement System (CSSPS).
Reacting to the development, Kofi Tonto argued that the government had failed to introduce the significant reforms Ghanaians expected after promising to address longstanding challenges in education.
He highlighted that the difficulties parents are facing during the placement exercise reflect broader problems within the sector.
Speaking on the JoyNews AM Show on Thursday, September 10, Kofi Tonto said, “Any Ghanaian parent listening to this will accept one simple fact: that in the last two years, your government has failed on its promise of reset”.
“When it comes to teachers, they have failed. They can’t even pay teachers. They can’t recruit teachers,” he said.
“When it comes to feeding, they have failed. When it comes to results, they have failed. When it comes to placement, you have failed,” he added.
Mr Tonto further asked how the Mahama government could claim to have transformed education when parents continue to face significant challenges securing placement for their children in 2026.
“What we are witnessing is an embarrassment. This is 2026. Have you seen the videos of parents literally jumping over one another just to secure school placement for their children?” he asked.
Also, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Minority Leader in Parliament, has raised concerns about Ghana’s education, calling for a critical national conversation to address the challenges confronting Ghana’s education system.
According to Afenyo-Markin, the latest WAEC results must concern every Ghanaian, adding that the results show that the future of our children is under serious threat.
The minority leader argued that 183,233 young people completed secondary school without obtaining a credit pass in Core Mathematics, while the credit pass rate in English Language fell to 62.40%, its lowest level in four years.
He further noted concerns over BECE candidates’ placement, where 54,985 candidates were initially denied automatic placement into senior high schools.
Afenyo-Markin argued that more than 200,000 young Ghanaians are at risk of being left behind at both ends of the secondary-school system, calling on the government to stop reacting only when problems become public.
The minority leader urged the Mahama government to treat this as a major national crisis requiring immediate action and lasting solutions, saying, “When our children’s education is in crisis, Ghana’s future is in danger. The time to act is now”.
In a Facebook post, Afenyo-Markin wrote, “WE NEED A CRITICAL NATIONAL CONVERSATION ON EDUCATION.
The latest WAEC results must concern every Ghanaian. They show that the future of our children is under serious threat.
Some 183,233 young people completed secondary school without a credit in Core Mathematics, while the credit pass rate in English Language fell to 62.40%, its lowest level in four years. Performance in both subjects remains below the levels recorded in 2024.
At the same time, nearly 55,000 BECE candidates were initially denied automatic placement. We are hearing reports of children wrongly placed in special schools and others arriving at their assigned schools only to find no space. Yet government’s own figures show 859,828 vacancies for 623,072 candidates, while 85 private schools participating in Free SHS also have capacity. A self-placement portal is not a school place; every child needs an actual seat in a functioning classroom.
More than 200,000 young Ghanaians are therefore at risk of being left behind at both ends of the secondary-school system.
Government must stop reacting only when problems become public. It must publish the final placement outcomes, explain the rules and pass marks applied, properly fund teaching and remedial programmes, and provide clear pathways into TVET, apprenticeships and skills training for those who did not obtain the required WASSCE credits.
Mahama government is expected to treat this as a major national crisis requiring immediate action and lasting solutions.
Ghana urgently needs an honest national conversation about educational funding, teaching quality, contact hours, teacher motivation, learning materials, infrastructure and supervision. This must rise above partisan excuses because the future of an entire generation is at stake.
The NPP expanded access through Free SHS and created Free TVET, apprenticeship and skills-development opportunities because we believe no Ghanaian child should be denied a future by poverty or one set of examination results.
The 54,985 BECE candidates need real school places; the 183,233 WASSCE graduates need a second chance.
Mr President, parents are worried, children are anxious, and teachers are under pressure.
When our children’s education is in crisis, Ghana’s future is in danger. The time to act is now”.
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