When supporting students to pass WASSCE is called wrong

Ghana’s latest WAEC results show worryingly high failure rates, especially in Mathematics. At a time when the country is pushing STEM and TVET to build a skilled workforce, the big question returns:

Was the NPP wrong for helping students prepare for WAEC? Or did we politicize a good idea too quickly?

A few years ago, the NPP government provided:

• Examination support materials

• Structured past-question booklets

• Extra preparation assistance for WASSCE candidates

The goal was to give every student — especially those from disadvantaged schools an equal chance to succeed.

But the NDC, then in opposition, fiercely criticized this policy. The following five (5) public statements show this clearly:

1. 10 Sept 2020 – Naana Opoku-Agyemang, at IMANI Africa, said government “goofed” by giving past questions.

2. 8 Sept 2021 – John Mahama, on Moonlite FM, said past questions were a misplaced priority and textbooks should’ve been bought instead.

3. 10 Sept 2021 – John Mahama, in further public comments, again condemned the initiative as unnecessary.

4. 15 July 2021 – Clement Apaak & NDC Minority, in Parliament, attacked the GH₵68 million spent on past questions.

5. 15 Nov 2024 – Naana Opoku-Agyemang, in a public commentary, questioned why any government would buy past questions instead of textbooks.

Yet today, with students struggling massively in core subjects needed for national development, the issue speaks for itself.

If students are failing now, the real question IS NOT “why did the government support them in the past?” because the answer to this question obvious now.

The question has become “why didn’t the current government support the students even more?

Not every school has qualified teachers. Not every student has access to learning materials. WAEC exams are tough. So when government steps in to close the gap, that is not politics — it is common sense.

My Final Thought

Had we embraced exam-prep support instead of condemning it for political gains, the students might not be facing these poor results today.

The government should know that when our students succeed, Ghana succeeds. Now the parents have another cost to incur for their wards to rewrite the exams. Bad. Sad! Mad!