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El Samuels: MBN360 News
Dennis Miracles Aboagye, Special Aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has dismissed claims that the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy is responsible for the poor performance of students in the 2025 West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). Speaking on Channel One TV, Aboagye argued that blaming Free SHS for the poor results is “unintelligent” and “ill-informed.
Aboagye emphasized that the policy has not affected teaching quality or classroom delivery, and that teachers continue to use the same instructional methods as before. He urged stakeholders to focus on identifying the real causes of the poor performance, particularly in Core Mathematics and Social Studies, where pass rates dropped significantly.
The 2025 WASSCE results showed a sharp decline in performance, with Core Mathematics passes dropping from 305,132 in 2024 to 209,068 in 2025, and the overall pass rate standing at 48.73%.
Aboagye’s comments come amidst widespread criticism of the Free SHS policy, with some attributing the poor results to the policy’s focus on quantity over quality. However, Aboagye insists that the policy is not the problem, and that a more nuanced approach is needed to address the challenges facing Ghana’s education system.
He urged stakeholders to focus on the technical causes behind the poor outcomes, particularly in Core Mathematics and Social Studies, and find solutions to prevent future occurrences.
“Anybody who says that Free SHS is the reason for these failures is not being intelligent. It is an ill-informed comment and does not hold water. We need to stop politicising this issue.
“Let us identify, technically, what caused the poor performance in these two subjects and find a solution. Let us identify, technically, what contributed to the poor performance and work towards fixing it,” he said.
The 2025 WASSCE recorded one of the steepest drops in recent years. A1–C6 passes in Core Mathematics fell by more than 96,000, dropping from 305,132 in 2024 to 209,068 in 2025. The overall pass rate stood at 48.73%, meaning over half of the candidates did not attain the required grades for tertiary admissions. Nearly one in four candidates failed both Core Mathematics and Social Studies.
Despite the concerning results, the University of Ghana has announced it will maintain its admission cut-off points for the 2025/2026 academic year, raising concerns about how many qualified applicants will secure placement.
