Deputy Minister for Education and Member of Parliament for Builsa North, Dr Clement Abas Apaak, has rebuffed claims by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin that Ghana’s education sector is facing an unprecedented crisis.
Dr Apaak accused the Minority Leader of using the 2026 BECE and WASSCE results, as well as challenges surrounding the ongoing school placement exercise, to advance what he described as a partisan political narrative.
In response to a write-up by Mr Afenyo-Markin calling for a “critical national conversation on education,” Dr Apaak said the national conversation being demanded by the Minority Leader had already taken place under the current government.
Also read: RE: We Need a Critical National Conversation on Education
President John Dramani Mahama, he said, directed Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu to initiate the National Consultative Forum on Education after assuming office, as part of efforts to address longstanding challenges in the sector.
According to Dr Apaak, the forum was launched in Ho in the Volta Region on February 18, 2025, under the theme “Transforming Education for Sustainable Future.”
He said political parties and other stakeholders were invited to participate, but alleged that the NPP and its parliamentary wing chose to boycott the forum and subsequently ridiculed the government for organising it.
“It therefore baffles me as to why the Minority Leader is today calling for a national conversation on education,” Dr Apaak said.
He added that the government had moved beyond consultation and was implementing recommendations from the forum, pointing to the establishment of the National Education Reform Secretariat within the Ministry of Education.
Afenyo-Markin’s WASSCE assessment
Dr Apaak also rejected the claim that Ghana’s secondary education system has collapsed, arguing that the 2026 WASSCE results show significant improvements in three of the four core subjects.
He said all four core subjects crossed the 60% credit pass threshold for the first time since 2023.
According to the Deputy Education Minister, Core Mathematics improved from 48.73% in 2025 to 60.75% in 2026, representing a 12.02 percentage-point increase.
Integrated Science also rose from 57.74% to 62.08%, while Social Studies recorded what he described as one of the strongest recoveries in recent years, increasing from 55.82% in 2025 to 78.04%.
However, Dr Apaak acknowledged a decline in English Language performance, which fell from 69% in 2025 to 62.40%.
He described the decline as a “genuine red flag” requiring an urgent policy response, but argued that the performance in one subject should not overshadow the improvements recorded in the other three core subjects.
Dr Apaak maintained that the 2026 examination results represent a more realistic assessment of student performance under stricter examination conditions.
Exam malpractice
The Deputy Minister further accused the previous administration of presiding over a system in which examination malpractice was allowed to undermine the credibility of WASSCE.
He alleged that school heads and invigilators faced pressure to produce artificially high pass rates and claimed that organised cheating networks, question-leaking platforms and so-called “special exam centres” became widespread.
Dr Apaak said the current administration had instead adopted stricter anti-cheating measures.
He cited the cancellation of results involving 861 candidates found with mobile phones and 7,434 candidates caught with foreign materials during the 2026 examinations.
BECE placement
On the 2026 BECE placement exercise, Dr Apaak disputed claims that more than 200,000 young Ghanaians were being left without access to secondary education.
He said the Ministry of Education had declared 859,828 vacancies across the secondary school placement system for 623,072 candidates who sat the 2026 BECE.
According to him, the challenge was not a shortage of spaces but the concentration of demand on a limited number of highly sought-after schools.
He said more than 313,000 candidates selected Category A schools as their first choice, competing for 76,417 available places, while Category B and C schools had more than 719,000 vacancies combined.
Dr Apaak further stated that more than 527,000 candidates, representing about 87.3% of qualified students, were placed automatically during the first phase.
He said candidates who were not automatically placed could use the self-placement portal, while 85 participating private Free SHS institutions also provided additional options.
Plans more infrastructure
Dr Apaak said the government is addressing the distribution of school capacity through infrastructure investments.
He cited the 2026 budget provision for upgrading 30 Category C schools to Category B, completing 30 E-Blocks and expanding classroom and dormitory infrastructure across the country.
He urged the Minority Leader and other stakeholders to focus the education debate on evidence-based solutions rather than what he described as sensationalised crisis narratives.
Among the issues he proposed for further discussion were identifying the teaching interventions responsible for the improvements in Mathematics and Social Studies, upgrading under-subscribed Category C schools and expanding TVET and skills-training pathways for students.
Dr Apaak said the government’s position was that Ghana’s education system required honest assessment, accountability and uncompromised examination integrity.
He maintained that the 2026 results showed an education system recording targeted improvements while still confronting specific challenges.
The Deputy Education Minister therefore called on the Minority Leader to join what he described as a constructive national dialogue based on “full facts, real integrity, and the true interests of Ghana’s students.”