A teacher with the Ghana Education Service (GES), Isaac Nyarko Antwi, has called for a fundamental shift in classroom teaching methods to align with the evolving nature of questions set by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), arguing that the persistent mass failure in the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) is largely the result of outdated pedagogical practices.
In a piece titled “A Call for Pedagogical Shift: Aligning Teaching Practices with Modern WASSCE Standards,” Mr. Antwi said the continued poor performance of candidates had generated “strong reactions among stakeholders in education, including teachers, parents, and policymakers,” particularly in light of the “significant efforts and preparations that teachers and learners put in.”
However, he stressed that there was “one underlying truth that people rarely discuss: the nature of WASSCE questions has undergone a significant shift, but the way candidates are prepared for the examination has not kept pace with this change.”
According to Mr. Antwi, WASSCE questions are no longer structured to test candidates’ ability to merely recall facts. Instead, he noted, “examiners of the West African Examination Council set questions involving application, critical thinking, and problem-solving,” requiring candidates to analyse situations, draw inferences, and apply learned principles to real-life contexts.
He explained that this shift mirrored global educational trends, emphasising that it is intended to produce learners who can reason and solve problems rather than simply memorize content. “It is therefore crucial to draw the attention of candidates to the fact that the shift reflects global educational standards,” he wrote.
Pedagogy
Despite this change, Mr. Antwi lamented that teaching methods in many schools remained largely unchanged. “Many of our schools these days teach learners to copy notes from the board, memorise definitions and formulas, and solve routine questions whose answers are just straightforward and can be reproduced,” he observed, describing such approaches as inadequate for handling application-based examinations.
As a result, he said, candidates often struggle when confronted with word-based and problem-situation questions. “When learners are faced with WASSCE questions designed as word-based problem situations, they struggle to interpret what the questions demand—even when they have thoroughly studied the underlying concepts,” he noted.
Mr. Antwi identified Core Mathematics, Integrated Science and Social Studies as subjects where the challenge is particularly pronounced, explaining that most questions in these areas require strong reading comprehension and critical reasoning skills. “Without strong reading comprehension ability and critical reasoning skills, even extremely good candidates will fail to answer questions effectively,” he warned.
Reforms
While commending WAEC for the transformation of its examination framework, Mr. Antwi pointed out that the reforms had not been matched by corresponding changes in classroom instruction. “The sudden transformation of WASSCE questions is commendable,” he said, adding that it reflected efforts to align Ghana’s education system with international standards. “However, this transformation has not been matched by corresponding reforms in classroom pedagogy.”
To address the problem, he proposed a deliberate overhaul of teaching, learning and assessment practices. He urged teachers to move away from rote learning to learner-centred approaches that encourage critical thinking and problemsolving. “Teachers should consistently expose students to application-based questions during lessons, mirroring the current nature of WASSCE questions,” he advised.
Mr. Antwi also emphasised the need to strengthen reading comprehension and reasoning skills across all subjects, calling for regular and in-depth practice with past examination questions. In addition, he urged the Ghana Education Service to organise periodic in-service training and workshops for teachers, focused on developing effective assessment tasks.
Appeal
He further appealed to parents, school authorities and policymakers to support the reforms by providing adequate teaching resources, reducing overemphasis on note-copying, and promoting independent thinking among learners.
Mr. Antwi rejected the notion that mass failure in WASSCE was due to a lack of commitment by teachers or students. Instead, he argued that it was “mainly a consequence of the growing mismatch between the evolving nature of examination questions and the methods used to prepare candidates.” He expressed optimism that aligning preparation methods with modern WASSCE demands would significantly reduce mass failure and improve overall outcomes.
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