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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has lauded the 2023 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results, describing them as the best in Ghana’s history.
He attributed this historic achievement to the transformative impact of his government’s Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy and education reforms.
Delivering his final State of the Nation Address in Parliament, the President underscored the significance of the results as evidence of the policy’s success.
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“The 2023 WASSCE results stand out as the best in the history of the examination. Our reforms have not only expanded access but also enhanced the quality of education,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo noted that the Free SHS policy, introduced in 2017, revolutionised Ghana’s education system by eliminating financial barriers to secondary education. This, he said, had allowed millions of students to gain access to quality education and dismantled the notion that secondary education was a privilege for a select few.
He highlighted that since the first cohort of Free SHS students took the WASSCE in 2020, over 50% of candidates have consistently achieved A1–C6 in all four core subjects.
The President provided detailed comparisons of performance improvements over the years:
- English Language: Pass rates improved from 51.6% in 2016 to 69.52% in 2024.
- Integrated Science: Results rose from 48.35% in 2016 to 58.77% in 2024.
- Mathematics: A leap from 33.12% in 2016 to 66.86% in 2024.
- Social Studies: Progressed from 54.5% in 2016 to 71.53% in 2024.
“These results mark a sharp improvement compared to the years prior, particularly when pass rates in core subjects were largely below 50%,” President Akufo-Addo noted.
The President expressed pride in his administration’s decision to fully implement Free SHS, despite calls for a phased rollout.
He described the policy as a transformational milestone in Ghana’s education history, one that has significantly enhanced both access and outcomes.
President Akufo-Addo voiced confidence that the reforms in secondary education, alongside investments in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) initiatives, would continue to drive improvements in Ghana’s education system.
“Our youth are the future of this country, and we owe it to them to ensure they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to thrive in a rapidly changing world,” he concluded.
