Alexander Afenyo-Markin is the Minority Leader in Parliament
Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has warned that Ghana’s future is at risk if urgent measures are not taken to address the challenges confronting the country’s education system.
His warning comes amid concerns over declining performance in the latest WASSCE results and challenges with the placement of thousands of BECE candidates into senior high schools, leaving many young Ghanaians facing uncertainty over their educational future.
“When our children’s education is in crisis, Ghana’s future is in danger. The time to act is now,” Afenyo-Markin said in a Facebook post on Wednesday, September 9, 2026.
According to the Minority Leader, 183,233 young people completed secondary school without obtaining a credit pass in Core Mathematics, while the credit pass rate in English Language fell to 62.40%, its lowest level in four years.
He said performance in both subjects remained below the levels recorded in 2024, describing the situation as a serious threat to the prospects of thousands of young Ghanaians.
Afenyo-Markin also expressed concern over the placement of BECE candidates, saying 54,985 candidates were initially denied automatic placement into senior high schools.
He said reports of children being wrongly placed in special schools, as well as others arriving at their assigned schools only to discover that there was no space, were worrying.
Afenyo-Markin questioned the situation despite government figures showing 859,828 vacancies for 623,072 candidates.
He further noted that 85 private schools participating in the Free SHS programme also had available capacity.
“A self-placement portal is not a school place; every child needs an actual seat in a functioning classroom,” he said.
54,985 BECE candidates denied SHS placement get lifeline as private schools step in
Afenyo-Markin said the challenges at both the BECE and WASSCE levels meant that more than 200,000 young Ghanaians were potentially at risk of being left behind.
He called on the government to publish the final placement outcomes, explain the rules and pass marks applied, and properly fund teaching and remedial programmes to improve learning outcomes.
He also urged the government to provide clear pathways into TVET, apprenticeships and skills training for students who did not obtain the required WASSCE credits.
According to him, Ghana urgently needs an honest national conversation on educational funding, teaching quality, contact hours, teacher motivation, learning materials, infrastructure and supervision.
Afenyo-Markin said the discussion must rise above partisan politics because the future of an entire generation was at stake.
He further defended the NPP’s expansion of access to secondary and technical education through the Free SHS and Free TVET programmes, saying no Ghanaian child should be denied a future because of poverty or one set of examination results.
“The 54,985 BECE candidates need real school places; the 183,233 WASSCE graduates need a second chance,” he said.
He urged the Mahama administration to treat the situation as a major national crisis and take immediate steps to address the concerns of parents, students and teachers.
“Parents are worried, children are anxious and teachers are under pressure,” Afenyo-Markin said.
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