2025: A year of reckoning for the education system

By Ernest Bako WUBONTO

The year 2025 has proven to be a watershed moment for Ghana’s education sector, marked by a decline in national examination performance, escalating debates over policy and persistent systemic inequities.

While the year was marked by ambitious government policies aimed at modernisation and equity, it was equally defined by recurring infrastructure deficits and labour unrest.

The confluence of these issues has sparked urgent calls for comprehensive reform, moving the national conversation beyond mere access to education toward a critical focus on foundational quality and sustainable funding.

The WASSCE shock and the integrity debate

The most jarring education headline of the year was the dramatic drop in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results.

Data reveals a sharp decline in core subject pass rates: Core Mathematics fell from 66.86 percent in 2024 to 48.73 percent, while Social Studies dropped from 71.53 percent to 55.82 percent.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has framed these results not as a failure, but as a necessary ‘true reflection’ of student abilities.

In a firm December statement, GES management attributed the decline to heightened vigilance and strict adherence to examination protocols that successfully curbed widespread malpractice.

The enforcement was severe; WAEC cancelled the results of 6,296 candidates and prosecuted 35 persons for malpractice, including 653 candidates found with mobile phones.

Educational analysts interpreted this mass failure as a ‘systemic correction’, arguing that years of inflated scores, enabled by leaked questions and collusion, masked deep-seated weaknesses in teaching and learning, which are seeing a reset.

Unmasking deep-rooted challenges

Beyond the exam hall, the 2025 results have ignited a fierce diagnostic debate, exposing fractures at every level of the education ladder. The crumbling foundation emanating from neglect at the basic level, with focus on free SHS, is the root cause of secondary school struggles.

A recent UNESCO research report has indicated that nearly 53 percent of children 10 years old and below in Ghana cannot read and understand a simple story.

While online learning and digitalisation of the education system initiatives are gaining traction, a social divide is creeping in strongly. Educators have identified behavioural shifts among students, with a chunk reported to be spending excessive time on social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram.

This is eroding study habits – fuelling short attention spans – and literacy, with informal ‘social media language’ even appearing in exam scripts.

Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, commenting on the WASSCE, noted that this neglect at the basic level is a contributing factor and evident in the disappointing results.

The free SHS initiative, while celebrated for expanding access to 3.2 million students, faces intense scrutiny for creating unsustainable systemic strain.

Critics point to severe overcrowding, with classrooms often holding 60-80 students, and a critical mismatch between soaring enrolment and the resources for teachers, infrastructure and teaching materials.

In a candid disclosure earlier this month, the minister revealed that approximately 5,000 schools across Ghana still operate under trees or in dilapidated structures, a situation that highlights a persistent urban-rural divide.

Labour unrest: Strikes and salary denials

The final quarter of 2025 saw the education sector suffocated by industrial actions. The Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) declared an indefinite strike in November over unpaid allowances and the downgrading of staff qualifications.

On the other hand, in September, the Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union (TEWU) also withdrew services, citing discriminatory treatment regarding professional development allowances.

Policy responses and persistent crises

The government’s responses in 2025 have been a mix of administrative correction, new pledges and grappling with ongoing crises.

Looking ahead, the GES announced a return to the international WASSCE for all West African states, starting in May/June 2026, moving away from the Ghana-only version.

One of the most significant policy milestones was the launch of a comprehensive programme to phase out the double-track system in Senior High Schools (SHS).

To make it possible, the government began upgrading 10 Category B schools to Category A and 30 Category C schools to Category B to balance student distribution, while also working on the completion of some E-Block Schools.

President Mahama’s administration is also delivering on the new “No-Fee Stress Policy” for tertiary admissions as pledged.

 

A call for holistic investment

The events of 2025 have made it clear that Ghana’s educational challenges are multifaceted. As outlined in a UNESCO-sponsored Spotlight Report, sustainable improvement hinges on coordinated action across five key policy areas, including the introduction of structured training focusing on foundational skills like phonics; ensuring textbooks and materials reliably reach all classrooms; exploring new financing mechanisms for basic education; enhancing oversight and supportive supervision at regional and district levels; and decentralising decision-making and strengthening local accountability.

The 2025 WASSCE results serve as a national wake-up call advocating for strategic investment in teaching quality, robust parental engagement, regulated digital habits and maintained exam integrity to rebuild the system.

As the year closes, Ghana stands at an educational crossroads, finding a workable solution to building an equitable system where quality learning, not just attendance, is guaranteed for every child.

In 2026, the focus remains on whether the government can successfully move from access to quality as the only means to ensure that the millions of students now in the system are actually learning in environments that meet modern standards.

The post 2025: A year of reckoning for the education system appeared first on The Business & Financial Times.

Read Full Story