When the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) released the 2025 WASSCE results, the numbers confirmed a growing reality across secondary schools in Ghana: Core Mathematics remains an uphill battle for thousands of candidates.
According to official West African Examination Council statistics, over 183,000 candidates failed to secure a passing grade in Core Mathematics.
A comparative look across the four core subjects—English Language, Integrated Science, Social Studies, and Mathematics—reveals that math consistently lags behind, pointing to foundational gaps that begin early in basic education but often go unaddressed until it is too late.
Beyond the stark statistics, the math crisis carries a human cost, altering life trajectories long after students leave the exam hall.
Echoes Beyond the Classroom
For Elizabeth, now a university student in Accra, passing the paper was a test of endurance. She sat for the Core Mathematics exam five consecutive times before finally securing the grade needed for tertiary admission. Yet, the hurdle did not end there.
”Even in the university, math-related courses are still pulling my GPA down,” she shared. “The foundation simply wasn’t there.”
For others, the consequences are even more immediate. Peter, an SHS graduate living in Accra, recalls how his struggles with mathematics consistently dragged his class rankings from the top down to the middle.
More than just lower grades, the subject ultimately blocked his career path.
”I dreamed of becoming a legal practitioner,” Peter said. Without a qualifying math score, tertiary doors closed, steering him away from law school. Today, he works at a water production factory in Tema.
Educators note that until foundational arithmetic and problem-solving skills are fortified at the basic school level, Core Mathematics will continue to stand between thousands of Ghanaian students and their future ambitions.
Writer; Aaron Obimpeh
@Ahotoronline.com