John Kapi, the Head of Public Relations at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), has detailed the reasons behind the sharp decline in core mathematics performance in the 2025 WASSCE.
John Kapi, the Head of Public Relations at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), attributed the sharp decline to specific skill gaps among students.
Speaking on the JOY Super Morning Show, Mr Kapi highlighted some seven areas where candidates struggled.
Mr Kapi revealed, “They (the examiners) indicated the candidate’s weaknesses in representing mathematical information in diagrams, solving global mathematics-related problems, constructing cumulative frequency tables from given data distribution for making deductions from real-life problems.
“Solving application problems in simple interest, translating word problems into mathematical expressions and interpreting results from the cumulative frequency curve. So, these are areas that the chief examiners can observe weaknesses in the children’s perform other countries’ performance,” he noted.
The results released by WAEC reveal, 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.
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.
According to the Ghana Education Service (GES), the claims by Dr Yaw Osei-Adutwum, the past Education Minister, attributing the failure to unsupportive management practices are baseless.
In a statement on Monday, 1 December 2025, the GES stated, “The Management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) has taken note of public discussions following the release of the 2025 WASSCE results. Management provides clarity to aid a balanced national conversation.
Management takes note of attempts by Dr Yaw Osei-Adutwum, immediate past Minister of Education, to attribute the performance of students in the 2025 WASSCE to unsupportive management practices of GES.
It is not true that the GES has cancelled any allowances due to teachers, as claimed by Dr Adutwum in his engagement with some media houses. Indeed, the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) has publicly clarified reasons for the non-payment of the November allowances for teachers”.
It further added, “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”.
According to the GES, the statement issued by the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service states that any teacher found abetting malpractice led to a heightened invigilation.
“Prior to the examinations, the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service issued a firm directive that any teacher or official found aiding or abetting malpractice during the examinations would face strong sanctions. This was rigorously enforced.
The 2025 WASSCE was conducted under heightened invigilation, strengthened supervision and strict adherence to examination protocols across all centres. These measures significantly resulted in the apprehension of some students and staff who would have engaged in examination malpractices.
It is essential to appreciate that the outcome is a direct demonstration of the trend towards restoring the integrity of the examination process. A credible examination system serves the best interests of our students, our schools, and the nation”.
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