The Minister for Education, Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, has announced that the government is considering giving senior high school graduates who failed mathematics in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) another opportunity to re-sit the paper in order to qualify for tertiary education. Preliminary data from the Ministry of Education suggests that about 30,000 students may have missed admission into tertiary institutions due to not meeting the required pass in mathematics, despite passing other subjects.
Speaking during an interview on TV3’s New Day programme on Friday, March 6, 2026, Mr. Iddrisu noted: “I’m aware that about 30,000 students may not have been able to qualify for tertiary education because they were unable to pass maths or English.” He explained that the ministry is currently analyzing the available data to determine the exact number of affected candidates, with particular focus on those who failed mathematics. “We are assessing the cost implications and may direct that all students who did not pass mathematics be allowed to re-sit this year’s WASSCE maths paper, so they don’t remain at home for too long,” he added.
Mr Iddrisu explained that in many cases, students performed well in other subjects but were unable to meet entry requirements for tertiary education because of mathematics. “In many cases, a particular student did well in every other subject except maths,” he said. “If you are not careful, you may destroy the career path of those young people.”
He stressed that the conduct of examinations is the responsibility of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), not the Ministry of Education. “I don’t interfere with assessment institutions. It is the West African Examinations Council that conducts the examination,” Mr Iddrisu said.
Figures released by WAEC show that 461,736 candidates sat the 2025 WASSCE. Out of that number, 220,008 candidates failed Core Mathematics, representing 50.54 per cent of all candidates. Only 48.73 per cent obtained grades A1 to C6, the minimum pass usually required for admission into many tertiary programmes.
Mr Iddrisu said the ministry will continue discussions with the relevant institutions as it studies options to assist affected students while maintaining the integrity of the examination system.
Source: Mohammed Ali
