When my attention was drawn to a story published on Ghanaweb (see attached) attributed to the Minority Leader, Hon. Alexander Afenyo-Markins, I doubted the attribution to him by Ghanaweb. So, I did what any researcher will do, i.e., verify the authenticity of the attribution of the story to the Minority Leader. I wanted to be sure that indeed, he authored the original piece under the heading; WE NEED A CRITICAL NATIONAL CONVERSATION ON EDUCATION.
Thankfully, Ghanaweb had a link to a Facebook page displayed at the bottom of the story. I clicked on the link and lo and behold, it led me to the verified Facebook page of the Minority Leader. Having satisfied myself that Ghanaweb merely amplified a write up of the Minority Leader under the aforementioned heading, I respectfully respond as follows.
To start with, I hereby remind the Minority Leader that the peak of the crisis in our education system he now acknowledges, was during the tenure of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government under the watch of Hon. Dr. Yaw Adutwum as Minister for Education. The Minority Leader was not a passive member of the NPP when his party was in power, but its Leader in Parliament. Our educational system had almost collapsed under his watch as Majority Leader.
A cursory Google search on the state of our education system will vindicate me. The challenges confronting the sector were debilitating, as espoused by stakeholders in the education space in particular, and Ghanaians in general. As the Honourable Minister for Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, rightly put it, we inherited a despondent educational system. Mindful of the dreadful situation confronting our education sector, and the legitimate worry of Ghanaians, then candidate John Dramani Mahama, now President, promised to address the challenges facing our education system head-on if given the mandate to govern.
In addition to specific policy proposals, initiatives and interventions proposed to address specific challenges in the sector, John Dramani Mahama promised to consult Ghanaians via a National Dialogue on Education. This was intended to ensure that reforms in the sector met the desires and aspirations of the good people of Ghana. True to his promise, H.E John Dramani Mahama directed his Minister for Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, to initiate the National Consultative Forum on Education upon assumption of office. Infact, the Forum is on record as one of the early actions undertaken by the current NDC government. H.E John Dramani Mahama opened the National Consultative Forum on Education in Ho in the Volta Region.
In his opening remarks at the launch of the National Consultative Forum on Education on 18th February 2025 under the theme: “Transforming Education for Sustainable Future,” H.E John Dramani Mahama noted as follows, “..We begin an important journey of consensus-building in an important sector: education. For many years, we’ve watched education standards decline significantly. We have, individually and collectively, expressed our views on how we believe the education sector’s problems can be addressed. What we have lacked, however, is a unified platform on which the various shades of opinion and perspectives can be combined and distilled to yield the most optimal outcomes for our children.”
May I add that the organisation of this very important Forum was the first activity undertaken by the Honorable Minister for Education and his team, myself included. To ensure that all facets of Ghanaian society made an input, invitations were extended to all stakeholders, including political parties.
Sadly, the NPP and its parliamentary wing, chose to boycott. As if that was not enough, they ridiculed us for organising the National Forum on Education. It therefore, baffles me as to why the Minority Leader is today calling for a national conversation on education.
For his information, not only has that critical national conversation been held, we are busy implementing its outcome as called for by the people of Ghana. The importance H.E John Dramani Mahama attaches to the implementation of the recommendations emanating from the National Consultative Forum on Education is reflected in the establishment of the National Education Reform Secretariat, housed in the Ministry of Education.
Let me now turn my attention to the factually inaccurate and gross embellishments made by the Minority Leader on the back of the 2026 BECE and WASSCE results as well as the challenges associated with the ongoing 2026 placement. The Minority Leader’s commentary on the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) outcomes can at best, be described as a textbook display of political opportunism.
Framing standard, unvarnished examination performance as an unprecedented “national crisis” selectively distorts statistics while attempting to erase his own party’s history of compromising examination integrity for political gain. If he truly wanted to stoke a serious national conversation on education, which has already happened, he ought to have begun with the complete set of facts, not cherry-picked data calculated to fuel a partisan narrative.
1. Debunking the Misleading Claims on WASSCE Performance:
The assertion that Ghana’s secondary education system has collapsed is demonstrably false. Far from a uniform decline, the 2026 WASSCE outcomes present a clear story of broad-based recovery under strict, uncompromising invigilation;
a) For the first time since 2023, all four core subjects crossed the 60% credit pass threshold (A1–C6). Core Mathematics rebounded sharply from 48.73% in 2025 to 60.75% in 2026, a 12.02 percentage-point improvement in a single year. Integrated Science increased from 57.74% in 2025 to 62.08% in 2026 (up 4.34 percentage points). Social Studies achieved one of the strongest recoveries in recent history, jumping from 55.82% in 2025 to 78.04% in 2026, a remarkable 22.22 percentage-point increase.
b) We do not hide behind numbers. English Language performance fell from 69% in 2025 to 62.40% in 2026. The Ministry acknowledges that this decline is a genuine red flag that requires an urgent policy response. However, a decline in one subject does not negate the significant recoveries in the other three.
c) We articulate clearly that the current examination outcomes represent an honest, unvarnished evaluation of student learning under genuine testing conditions. Presenting realistic pass rates is the crucial first step toward diagnosing actual learning gaps, rather than concealing them behind politically inflated figures.
2. Exposing the Legacy of Systemic Exam Malpractice:
The Minority Leader’s sudden concern for examination standards rings hollow when measured against his party’s record in governance. Under the previous administration;
a) School heads and invigilators faced intense pressure to produce artificially high pass rates to validate government propaganda, incentivizing supervisors to turn a blind eye to cheating.
b) Our country witnessed organised cheating networks, social media question-leaking platforms, and “special exam centres” flourish with minimal deterrence, compromising the security of WAEC papers year after year.
c) Rather than holding collusion accountable, sanctions were routinely delayed or minimised to avoid political embarrassment, risking the global credibility of Ghana’s academic credentials.
d) Today, strict anti-cheating protocols are actively enforced. In 2026, WAEC cancelled the results of candidates caught with mobile phones (861) and foreign materials (7,434), demonstrating a firm commitment to ensuring that a WASSCE certificate represents true mastery.
3. The BECE Placement Reality – Capacity Exceeds Demand:
The claim that over 200,000 young Ghanaians are being “left behind” or denied secondary education fundamentally misrepresents the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS);
a) The Ministry of Education declared 859,828 vacancies across the secondary placement system for 623,072 candidates who sat the 2026 BECE. The issue is not a shortage of places, but concentrated demand.
b) Over 313,000 candidates selected Category A schools as their first choice, competing for just 76,417 available places. Meanwhile, Category B and C schools contained over 719,000 combined declared vacancies.
c) More than 527,000 candidates (approx. 87.3% of qualified students) were placed automatically in the first phase. For the remaining eligible candidates, the self-placement portal and 85 participating private Free SHS institutions provide active, viable avenues to secure placement. Being matched during self-placement is not exclusion; it is the standard distribution process at work.
d) The Government’s 2026 budget explicitly addresses this capacity distribution by funding the upgrading of 30 Category C schools to Category B, completing 30 E-Blocks, and expanding classroom and dormitory infrastructure nationwide.
Moving Toward an Evidence-Led National Conversation
Rather than weaponising statistics for partisan gain, I urge the Minority Leader and others who reason like him to focus our educational debate on practical, evidence-led questions:
1. For WASSCE: What specific teaching interventions drove the 12-point recovery in Mathematics and the 22-point surge in Social Studies, and how can those strategies be applied to reverse the decline in English?
2. For BECE: How rapidly can we upgrade facilities in under-subscribed Category C schools to make them more attractive and accessible to families?
3. For Pathways: How can we expand TVET and skills training options for students who need alternative routes into tertiary education or employment?
Conclusion
At the Ministry of Education, we believe that the future of our education depends on honest assessment, genuine accountability, and uncompromised examination integrity. The 2026 results confirm an education system making targeted recoveries while confronting specific challenges. I call on the Minority Leader and his associates to abandon sensationalised crisis narratives and join a constructive national dialogue, one anchored in full facts, real integrity, and the true interests of Ghana’s students.
Dr. Clement Abas Apaak (MP),
Deputy Minister for Education
