FLUCTUATING WASSCE PERFORMANCE: STOP THE BLAME GAMES

The West African Examination Council’s provisional results for the 2025 West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) show that more than half of the candidates — 220,008 out of 461,736 — failed Core Mathematics, marking the worst performance in the subject in seven years.
Data released by WAEC shows a staggering drop in the percentage of candidates achieving grades A1 to C6 in Core Mathematics, falling by nearly 18 percentage points compared to the previous year. (Caleb Ahinakwah, myjoyonline 2025).
In Ghana, I have noticed a trend that appears every year when the WASSCE results are released.

Parents, teachers, policy makers, and community groups often start blaming one another. Sometimes, the situation even becomes political, with political parties acting as if they are responsible for either the success or failure of learners.

Some parents blame their children for not studying hard enough, and may even threaten to stop supporting them. Others blame teachers and schools, sometimes using harsh and destructive criticism. Schools also blame the government for not providing enough teaching and learning resources.

For instance, Daniel Fenyi (Onua Online, 2025) noted that another major issue is the politicisation of WASSCE results, which can undermine the credibility of the examination. According to him, learner performance is sometimes used as a political tool, with governments taking credit for good results or avoiding blame for poor ones.

Unfortunately, these blame games prevent us from thinking deeply about the real factors behind fluctuating WASSCE performance. Even worse, they can damage the credibility of our educational institutions. Blame games are unhealthy because they create defensiveness, lower morale, and weaken collective efforts.

However, two key approaches can help reduce this pattern: shared accountability and distributed leadership.

:Shared Accountability:
Accountability in education is now more important than ever. It means ensuring that planned activities meet or exceed their goals. Sadly, exam results have become the main measure used to judge the performance of learners, schools, and sometimes even teachers.
Because teachers work closely with learners, many people assume they are fully responsible for ensuring good results. While teachers play a key role, they are not the only ones who influence learner performance. Parents must guide, support, and encourage their children. Government must also provide enough teaching and learning resources.
This means all stakeholders must work together and share responsibility for learning outcomes, especially during major exams like the WASSCE.

Kelly Bathgate et al. (Striving for Learner Success: A Model of Shared Accountability) explain that establishing metrics and collecting data is only one part of a strong accountability system.

Principal David Krakoff (2023) adds that if instruction does not lead to learners mastering state standards, both the principal and teaching staff should share accountability for learner proficiency and growth, and the accountability should not end with them.

:Distributed Leadership:
The government cannot be the only leader in Ghana’s education system. While government policies guide change, other key individuals also need to show leadership. These include Regional Directors, school principals, teacher union leaders, learner representatives, and teachers.

According to Mattie Farrer et al. (2024) distributive leadership is shared leadership that recognizes the skills and strengths of different people.
When government and educational leaders see themselves as partners working together to help learners succeed, the culture of blame becomes weaker. Instead of attacking each other, stakeholders begin to see themselves as capable team members working toward improved learner outcomes.

I wish to admonish all education stakeholders that even though this year’s WASSCE results were below expectations, all hope is not lost. The outcome is simply a feedback message about our educational philosophy, our challenges, and the systems we operate.
Let us in one accord reflect, collaborate, and take shared responsibility for building a stronger and more effective educational environment for all learners.

WRITTEN BY:
Henry Atta Nyame
Institutional Assessment Practitioner
hattanyame@gmail.com