The National Council of Parent Teacher Associations (NCPTA)- Ghana, has said that it is deeply concerned but not surprised about the 2025 WASSCE results.
NCPTA said the results reveal a catastrophic decline in key subject areas.
This is contained in a press release dated December 1.
“Mathematics has plummeted by nearly 20 percentage points, Integrated Science is sliding backward, and Social Studies in free fall. These results are not just a wake-up call, they are distress signals to government and all stakeholders in education to reflect, review, revive and come out with an urgent, sustainable and progressive national rescue learning plan to address the root causes of this decline,” the statement signed by its General Secretary, Gapson Kofi Raphael noted.
NCPTA noted that, “As parents, we wish to emphasize that it is not the students who have failed, but the system that is failing them, hence we urge the government and all stakeholders in education in the interest of the state to implement the following reforms, noting that everything that happens has a reason:
1. Improve teacher quality and quantity through targeted retraining especially in low performing schools based on assessment of WAEC results in BECE and WASSCE over the past 5years.
2. Mobilize parents and communities through the PTAs as partners in creating conducive environments for learning and accountable assessment outcomes in order to adequately prepare our wards for examination and not as a conduit for using PTA platforms to mobilize funds to engage in examination malpractices.
3. Diagnose learning gaps early with nationwide baseline assessments, and take remedial measures together with Parents through the PTAs to restore instructional time lost to disruptions as well as make sure that students take their learning and assessments serious as well as give their academic life their best shots as stated by Henry long Fellow- ‘The height that great men reach and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they while their compatriots slept, kept toiling upwards in the night.’
4. Reduce overcrowded classrooms, invest in labs, textbooks, and teaching aids to improve teaching and learning outcomes in schools, especially the less endowed ones.
5. Strengthen supervision and accountability mechanisms that support students learning with remediation programs and digital learning tools as well as ensure that, most teachers remain at post and facilitate teaching and learning in the classrooms as well as take urgent steps to enforce zero tolerance for absenteeism for both teachers and students.
6. Integrate technology meaningfully into teaching and embark on curriculum reforms that emphasize mastery over memorization.
Touching on examination malpractices, NCPTA joined Government in declaring Zero Tolerance.
“Examination malpractices have become a significant concern in Ghana, undermining the integrity of our education system and compromising the credibility of certificates awarded. The recent results show that those who relied on corrupt means to pass their examinations have ultimately failed,” Mr Gapson wrote.
“We condemn examination malpractices and urge students, teachers, and parents who support such unlawful and criminal acts to desist from such conduct; hence we call on all stakeholders to join us in promoting a culture of academic integrity, encourage genuine learning and reward hard work and academic excellence,” NCPTA stated,
It added that, “We must strengthen improve and accountable teaching and learning outcomes for both teachers and students, encourage
genuine learning that promotes academic integrity, strengthen examination security, improve invigilation and supervision and impose severe penalties on those caught in collaborating and engaging in examination malpractices.”
