Education Minister Proposes WASSCE Maths Re-sit for Students Who Failed the Subject
The Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, has revealed that the government is considering a policy that would allow some Senior High School (SHS) graduates who failed mathematics in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) to re-sit the paper in order to qualify for tertiary education.
According to the minister, preliminary data from the Ministry of Education (Ghana) indicates that about 30,000 students may have missed admission to tertiary institutions because they did not obtain the required pass in mathematics, despite performing well in other subjects.
Mr. Iddrisu made the disclosure during an interview on the New Day programme on TV3 Ghana on Friday, March 6, 2026.
“I’m aware that about 30,000 students may not have been able to qualify for tertiary education because they were unable to pass maths or English,” he said.
The minister explained that the ministry is currently analysing available data to determine the exact number of affected students, with particular attention to candidates who failed mathematics.
“We are trying to look at the cost implications and probably to direct that all those students who are unable to pass in mathematics be boarded on to write this year’s WASSCE maths so that they don’t stay at home longer,” Mr. Iddrisu stated.
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He noted that many students perform well in most of their subjects but are unable to meet entry requirements for tertiary education because they fail mathematics.
“In many cases a particular student did well in every other subject except maths,” he said. “If you are not careful, you may destroy the career path of those young people.”
However, the minister emphasised that the responsibility for conducting examinations lies with the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), not the Ministry of Education.
“I don’t interfere with assessment institutions. It is the West African Examinations Council that conducts the examination,” he explained.
Statistics released by WAEC show that 461,736 candidates sat for the 2025 WASSCE, with 220,008 candidates failing Core Mathematics, representing 50.54 per cent of the total candidates. Only 48.73 per cent obtained grades A1 to C6, the minimum pass usually required for admission into many tertiary programmes.
Mr. Iddrisu said the ministry will continue engaging relevant stakeholders as it studies options to support affected students while ensuring the integrity of the examination system is maintained.
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