The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called for a national conversation on education following what it describes as worrying results from the latest West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and challenges with the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) placement process.

The party expressed concern over the number of students who completed secondary school without obtaining credit passes in key subjects, particularly Core Mathematics and English Language.

According to the NPP, 183,233 young people completed secondary school without a credit pass in Core Mathematics, while the credit pass rate for English Language dropped to 62.40 per cent, its lowest level in four years.

It noted that performance in both subjects was also below the levels recorded in 2024.

The party also raised concerns about the placement of BECE candidates into senior high schools, claiming that 54,985 candidates were initially denied automatic placement.

It further alleged that some children had been wrongly placed in special schools, while others reported to their assigned schools only to find that there were no spaces available for them.

The NPP questioned the situation, particularly in view of government figures showing 859,828 vacancies for 623,072 candidates.

It also pointed to the availability of capacity in 85 private schools participating in the Free Senior High School programme.

The party argued that providing a self-placement portal alone was not enough, stressing that every child needed an actual place in a functioning classroom.

It therefore called on the government to publish the final placement outcomes and explain the rules and pass marks used in the process.

The NPP also urged the government to properly fund teaching and remedial programmes and provide alternative pathways into technical and vocational education and training (TVET), apprenticeships and skills training for students who do not obtain the required WASSCE credits.

The party called for a broader discussion on education funding, teaching quality, contact hours, teacher motivation, learning materials, infrastructure and supervision.

It maintained that the issue should be treated as a national concern rather than a partisan political matter because the future of an entire generation was at stake.

The NPP further stated that its introduction of Free SHS and Free TVET, as well as apprenticeship and skills development opportunities, was aimed at ensuring that poverty or examination results did not permanently limit the future of Ghanaian children.

It urged the government to find solutions for the 54,985 BECE candidates who it said needed school places and the 183,233 WASSCE graduates who required opportunities for a second chance.

The party appealed to President John Mahama to treat the situation as a major national crisis requiring immediate and lasting action.

By: Jacob Aggrey