Rapid survey conducted by Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) ahead of the release of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results has identified teacher commitment, student commitment and additional instructional support as the three strongest factors expected to positively influence candidates’ performance this year.
The findings are contained in Eduwatch’s Results Risk and Enabler Pulse Survey (REEPS), conducted in August 2026 among 301 school heads across the country, just weeks before the official release of the 2026 WASSCE results. Respondents were asked to rank up to five factors likely to positively affect results and up to six factors likely to negatively affect them, ordered from most to least influential.
According to the survey, teacher commitment emerged as the single strongest reported enabler of good performance, selected by 81 percent of school heads surveyed.
Student commitment followed closely behind at 66 percent, while additional instructional support and parental support were each selected by 64 percent of respondents, pointing to a strong reliance on people-centred inputs rather than infrastructure alone in shaping examination outcomes.
Availability of textbooks and Teaching and Learning Materials (TLMs) rounded out the top five enablers, cited by 52 percent of school heads, the lowest share among the named positive factors.
Eduwatch noted that open-ended responses from school heads reinforced these same themes, with many citing teacher and student motivation, closer attendance monitoring, and extra intervention classes for weaker learners as additional contributing factors to expected performance.
“Teacher commitment was the strongest reported enabler, selected by 81 percent of school heads, underscoring how central classroom motivation remains to examination outcomes,”
Eduwatch
Phone Distractions, Exam Malpractice Top Risk Factors
On the flip side, the survey identified distractions from tablets and phones as the leading risk factor likely to negatively affect the 2026 WASSCE results, cited by 64 percent of school heads.
This was closely followed by concerns over exam malpractice, flagged by 62 percent of respondents, and weak foundational learning skills among students, cited by 60 percent, each identified by a majority of school heads surveyed.
Inadequate textbooks and teaching and learning materials followed at 54 percent, while limited instructional time was cited by 42 percent of respondents. High class sizes were flagged by 32 percent of school heads, with a further 8 percent citing other unspecified factors.
Eduwatch noted that open-ended responses in this category highlighted additional concerns, including student absenteeism, truancy, indiscipline, and shortages of classroom furniture, painting a broader picture of the environmental and behavioural challenges schools continue to grapple with ahead of major examinations.
“The leading risks were distractions from tablets and phones, exam malpractice and weak foundational learning skills, each cited by a majority of school heads, signalling where urgent attention is needed,”
Eduwatch
Way Forward: Discipline, Integrity And Foundational Learning
Drawing on the combined findings, Eduwatch concluded that school heads remain most concerned about discipline, integrity and foundational learning gaps, even as they continue to identify teacher and student commitment as the strongest drivers of expected performance.
This dual finding suggests that while human commitment remains the backbone of good results, unresolved behavioural and resource challenges continue to pose a persistent threat to outcomes.
Based on these findings, Eduwatch outlined five specific recommendations for stakeholders. It called on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to strengthen restrictions on mobile phone and tablet use within schools, and urged the Ministry of Education (MoE) to support the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in strengthening examination centre invigilation and supervision.
The organisation further recommended that GES and school heads work together to enhance teacher recognition and motivation, while calling on the MoE and GES to prioritise foundational learning support at the basic education level.
Finally, Eduwatch urged the Ministry of Education to improve the supply of school furniture and textbooks nationwide, while taking deliberate steps to reduce high class sizes, both of which were flagged repeatedly by school heads as contributing factors to underperformance.
Taken together, the survey’s findings suggest that improving WASSCE outcomes in Ghana may depend less on large-scale infrastructural overhaul and more on reinforcing existing human capital, teachers, students and support systems, while simultaneously addressing emerging distractions such as excessive phone and tablet use, alongside longstanding concerns around integrity and foundational literacy and numeracy skills among candidates.
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