The Ghana Education Service (GES) has defended the credibility of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results, describing them as “a true reflection of the academic performance and abilities of the candidates.”
In an official statement issued on Monday, December 1, 2025, GES management pushed back against criticisms levelled by the immediate-past Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, who reportedly linked the performance of students to alleged unsupportive practices by the Service.
GES categorically rejected claims that it had cancelled any allowances due teachers, stating that the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) had already clarified the reasons for the delay in payment of November allowances.
“The public is urged to disregard statements made by the former Minister regarding the 2025 WASSCE results and treat them as an attempt to shift focus from his own shortcomings in managing the examination process,” the statement said.
The Service emphasised that, unlike previous years, the 2025 examination was conducted under “heightened invigilation, strengthened supervision and strict adherence to examination protocols” across all centres.
The Service emphasized that a joint directive from the Ministry of Education and GES had warned that any teacher or official caught aiding or abetting malpractice would face severe sanctions, a policy that was “rigorously enforced.”
“These measures significantly resulted in the apprehension of some students and staff who attempted to engage in examination malpractices,” GES noted.
Management argued that the outcome of the 2025 WASSCE represents a positive step towards restoring the integrity of Ghana’s public examination system.
“A credible examination system serves the best interest of our students, our schools, and the nation as a whole,” the statement concluded.
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) released the 2025 WASSCE results last week amid widespread public debate, with a section of commentators and teacher unions expressing concern over what they described as a dip in performance compared to recent years.
Statistics from results indicate a dip in overall performance of candidates compared to previous years.
Data released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) shows a sharp surge in the failure rate (Grade F9) across all four core subjects compared to the 2024 results.
The percentage of candidates who failed Core Mathematics nearly quadrupled, rising from 6.10% in 2024 to 26.77% in 2025.
The failure rate for Social Studies also almost tripled, increasing from 9.55% in 2024 to 27.50% in 2025.
The massive jump in F9 grades signals a major downturn in foundational knowledge among the 461,736 candidates who sat for the examination.
Core Mathematics recorded the steepest rise, with the failure rate increasing by 20.67 percentage points, meaning nearly one in every four candidates failed the subject outright.