20,000 students vanished from WASSCE in just five years, experts warn Free SHS is filling classrooms, not finishing them.
Education stakeholders including the West African Examinations Council have expressed concern over the increasing rate of absenteeism among candidates registered for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination with fresh research revealing a huge number of students who do not show up for the exams despite being registered. The Legon Centre for Education Research and Policy’s report, “Registered but Missing: The Silent Crisis of WASSCE Absenteeism in Ghana,” has shown that 20,197 candidates failed to sit for the examination from the 2020/21 to the 2024/25 academic years, highlighting alarm over the growing gap between increased enrolment under the Free SHS policy and actual completion. WAEC has recognised the trend, saying that while the examination fees are to cover administrative costs, the failure of candidates defeats the educational benefits expected from government funding. The education think tank Africa Education Watch cites financial hardship, lack of academic preparedness and teenage pregnancy as contributing factors, and calls for targeted interventions to identify and support at-risk students. Meanwhile, students and stakeholders say cases of students dropping out are becoming more common, with the LECERP report warning that continued absenteeism could undermine the impact of Free SHS and leave many students uncertified despite years of schooling.
