The Center for Education Policy and Management (CEPM), a think tank under The Orpington Group, has cautioned that Ghana’s future labour force and national development trajectory are in jeopardy following what it describes as a “catastrophic collapse” in the 2025 WASSCE performance.
Rather than focusing solely on the exam outcomes, CEPM argues that the country now faces a human capital crisis of national importance — one that could severely affect tertiary enrolment, professional training pipelines, and long-term economic competitiveness.
According to CEPM’s analysis, Ghana has lost nearly a quarter of a million potential tertiary entrants in a single year due to massive declines in passes across all four core subjects. The think tank notes that this situation is not just an educational setback but a threat to Ghana’s skilled workforce projections for the next decade.
Core Mathematics emerged as the most troubling indicator. CEPM reports a decline from 305,132 A1–C6 passes in 2024 to 209,068 in 2025, leaving more than half of candidates without the grades required for higher education. Similar declines were seen in Social Studies, Integrated Science, and English Language — results CEPM says paint a picture of a system that has become “structurally unstable.”
CEPM argues that the current state of affairs stems largely from failures in educational governance. Key systemic breakdowns cited include the withdrawal of Academic Intervention Grants, significant delays in funding schools, inadequate teacher development programmes, and the lack of essential learning resources.
The think tank further warns that the sharp rise in cancelled results and exam-related arrests underscores a system stretched beyond its operational limits.
With mounting concern over the ripple effects on tertiary institutions, teacher training colleges, and sectors such as health, engineering, and ICT, CEPM is calling for immediate reforms aimed at stabilising quality and restoring confidence in Ghana’s secondary education system.
Among its proposals are the creation of a dedicated quality-enhancement fund, timely release of school financing, and accelerated construction of stalled school infrastructure to reduce overcrowding and improve learning conditions.
CEPM believes the situation demands swift, depoliticised action.
“Ghana is standing at a crossroads,” the think tank warned. “The country cannot build the workforce of tomorrow if today’s students are being lost to systemic failures. The education sector must be managed with professionalism and urgency, not political theatrics.”
As stakeholders await a national response, CEPM argues that the 2025 WASSCE results should serve as a wake-up call for comprehensive reforms to protect Ghana’s future human capital.
