The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) on Tuesday presented its analysis of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), reporting measurable improvements in national outcomes while warning of persistent weaknesses in English, foundational literacy, and examination integrity. The findings were shared with the press by the ministry’s Communications Specialist, Augustine Bamie Anthony, at the weekly government press conference at the Miatta Civic Centre on 21 October 2025.

A total of 148,313 candidates registered for the 2025 WASSCE. Of those, results were received for 97,817 candidates, 13,237 results were withheld by WAEC because of examination issues, and about 35,020 candidates were absent. The ministry’s vetting process identified 124,000 duplicate registrations, prompting a decision to require National Identification Numbers (NINs) for future registration to prevent multiple entries and reduce fraud.

The overall best candidate for 2025 is Roseline Mariama Jalloh of Modern Academy Senior Secondary School of Excellence, who scored four A1s, three B2s and two B3s, with an average point of 1.78. Among schools, Dele Peddle High School in Freetown recorded a 100% pass rate for its 17 candidates.

The ministry stressed that individual top performance does not automatically equate to a school-wide ranking, and called for broader measures when assessing institutional performance.

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English remains a major national challenge, with only 11.77% of candidates passing with credits. “Passing English has been a problem in all our public exams,” Anthony said, noting that investigations reveal many primary pupils cannot read at expected levels. The ministry described this shortfall as “learning poverty” and emphasized the need to strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy.

By contrast, Mathematics performed better, with a 47% pass rate.

 

WAEC withheld results where irregularities were suspected. The board piloted a serialization system, delivering different exam versions across regions to curb cheating coordinated through messaging platforms. The ministry linked serialization to the seizure of roughly 27,000 results believed to be tied to identical-answer malpractice shared on WhatsApp groups.

A joint committee made up of WAEC representatives and civil society groups has been established to review seized results. The ministry said it will require concrete evidence before canceling any results. Plans are also underway to review the WAEC Act to improve oversight and reduce malpractice; the approval process for that legislative review is in progress.

Anthony noted previous administrative failures, including principals who did not upload continuous assessment scores, saying, “Some principals did not upload the continuous assessments and as a result, we had to suspend them because we believe that honest grading is key to our system.”

MBSSE reported improvements across basic assessments: NPSE pass rates rose from 78% to 81%, BECE from 72% to 96%, and WASSCE from 18% to 52%. To strengthen monitoring, the ministry added 220 new School Quality Assurance Officers last year and is recruiting more staff to enhance oversight.

The ministry announced a commitment to support teachers, including plans to establish a national English subject teachers’ association to improve language instruction and address the country’s persistent English shortfall. Anthony described teachers as “the quiet builders of our nation” and reaffirmed government dedication to long-term reforms targeting foundational learning gaps.

The ministry outlined immediate and medium-term actions: implement NIN-based registration to eliminate double entries, complete the WAEC Act review to strengthen examination oversight, continue the joint review of seized results with WAEC and civil society, expand monitoring through additional School Quality Assurance Officers, and launch targeted interventions for foundational literacy and numeracy.

“Going forward, we will be using National Identification Numbers to ensure no pupils register twice and to curb fraud.” — Augustine Bamie Anthony said.