President Akufo-Addo has described the results of the 2022 batch of students who took part in the West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) as the best in the last eight years.

According to him, it is the best since six years on following the implementation of the Free Senior High School policy, which has guaranteed a minimum of Senior High School education for 1.7 million Ghanaian children. This, he indicated, represents the highest of such enrollment in the country’s history.

President Akufo-Addo stated without equivocation that he is very proud of the policy and of its results thus far.

“The 2022 results are the best of the last eight (8) years. Surely, there can no longer be any controversy about the validity of the Free SHS policy and its consequential measures. It is working, and working well.”
President Akufo-Addo

The President noted that the 2022 WASSCE results of the “Akufo-Addo graduates” shows 60.39% of students recording A1-C6 in English, as opposed to 51.6% in 2016.

In Integrated Science, he noted that 62.45% recorded A1-C6 in Integrated Science in 2022, as opposed to 48.35% in 2016, with the 2022 result being a slight regression from the 2021 pass rate of 65.70%.

President Akufo-Addo highlighted that 61.39% of students recorded A1-C6 in Mathematics, as compared to 33.12% in 2016; and 71.51% recorded A1-C6 in Social Studies, as compared to 54.55% in 2016.

“Lest we forget, the 2021 batch of students, who also obtained very commendable results, were the pioneers of the double track system, which elicited a lot of vilification and unfounded criticism on its introduction.”
President Akufo-Addo

Achievements of government in education

In his address, President Akufo-Addo in the presence of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and the Chairperson of the Council of State, Nana Otuo Sriboe II, recounted the history, and the experiences of developed nations. This, he revealed, have shown the world that the most efficient way to create a society of opportunities, and, thereby, guarantee the future of a nation is by investing in education and skills training of the youth.

“It is the people of Ghana, Ghanaians like you and I, and especially the youth of today, who are going to build Ghana. Without an educated populace, we cannot transition from the status of a developing to a developed nation.”
President Akufo-Addo

Subsequently, President Akufo-Addo stated that, in spite of the economic difficulties confronting the nation, government has devoted even more resources for the running of the Free SHS policy.

He explained that from a budget of GHC2.3 billion in 2022, a 28.6% increase has been applied to this year’s budget for Free SHS, being GHC2.96 billion.

Owing to this, the President called on all Ghanaians, in these difficult times, to support the fiscal measures that the Government has proposed to enable us achieve the goal of restoring macroeconomic stability and promoting inclusive growth, whilst protecting the poor.

“I am optimistic the policies outlined in the 2023 budget will go a long way to address the economic challenges with which we are faced.”
President Akufo-Addo