Pru East MP Accuses Former Akufo-Addo Government of Orchestrating WASSCE Cheating to Prop Up Free SHS
The Member of Parliament for Pru East, Emmanuel Boam, has leveled explosive allegations against the outgoing Akufo-Addo administration, claiming it systematically enabled widespread exam malpractice during the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) to fabricate success stories for the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) lawmaker described the cheating as the “most organized and well-orchestrated” in recent history, allegedly coordinated between schools and officials to inflate pass rates.
This comes just days after the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) released provisional results showing a sharp decline in performance, with Core Mathematics pass rates dropping to 48.73% from 66.86% in 2024—a plunge of over 18 percentage points. Social Studies also fell to 55.82%, down from 71.53% last year.
Boam alleged that under the previous government, students were coerced into paying “examination support levies,” with teachers collecting funds to solve questions off-site and pass answers to invigilators.
He further claimed candidates were allowed into exam halls with mobile phones, compromising the entire process.
“There hasn’t been any organized and well-orchestrated examination malpractice than what we saw under the past government,” Boam said. “It was properly coordinated between institutions that were compelled to align.”
He criticized the policy of tying school headteachers’ performance ratings solely to WASSCE results, despite chronic shortages in resources like infrastructure and logistics.
“How do you tie the rating of schools to WASSCE results and threaten headteachers with removal when they lack the basic resources to run their institutions?” Boam questioned.f67f4b
The MP’s remarks echo earlier criticisms from NDC figures, including former MP Dr. Clement Apaak, who in 2023 highlighted surging malpractice under the Akufo-Addo administration amid praise for Free SHS results.
Boam argued these practices created a false narrative of academic triumph, masking deeper systemic failures in the flagship policy launched in 2017.
WAEC’s 2025 report backs some of the concerns, noting over 7,000 candidates had results withheld or cancelled due to irregularities, with 35 education personnel—including 19 teachers—facing convictions or court proceedings for complicity.
Head of Public Affairs John Kapi described the results as a “true reflection” of candidate performance, attributing the downturn to genuine weaknesses rather than exam difficulty, and vowed no tolerance for future malpractices.
As of December 3, 2025, there has been no official response from former President Nana Akufo-Addo or New Patriotic Party (NPP) officials to Boam’s specific claims. Past defenses of Free SHS, however, have been robust: In 2021, Akufo-Addo hailed WASSCE results as proof the policy “put critics to shame,” crediting improved access and quality.
In 2024, he dismissed similar malpractice allegations as politically motivated, questioning their validity during a speech at Wesley Girls High School.
Boam has urged Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu to launch a commission of inquiry to probe the alleged scandals and safeguard the integrity of Ghana’s education system. “The system was so compromised,” he added, calling for accountability to prevent further erosion of standards.
The controversy unfolds against a backdrop of transition following the NDC’s victory in the December 2024 elections, with incoming President John Dramani Mahama inheriting debates over Free SHS sustainability and exam credibility.
