Poor English, Maths performance shows Ghana’s literacy crisis – Dr Peter Anti

Dr Peter Anti, the Executive Director of the Institute for Education Studies (IFEST), has highlighted Ghana's ongoing literacy crisis, as evidenced by poor English and Mathematics scores in recent examinations. Speaking on JoyNews' The Pulse, Anti emphasized that Ghana's education system suffers from persistent challenges with foundational literacy and numeracy skills, particularly at the basic education level.

He pointed out that 55,000 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates failed to advance to higher education due to their failure in English Language, Mathematics, or both subjects. Although the Ministry of Education has provided some flexibility for these students, Anti stressed that these figures should act as a wake-up call for all stakeholders.

He noted a similar issue in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), where while Mathematics performance has improved, the failure rates in both Mathematics and English remain a significant concern. Anti believes that the persistent difficulties in these core subjects indicate weaknesses in the development of foundational competencies among pupils.

He stressed that addressing this issue must start at the basic education level, where pupils acquire the foundational skills necessary for success throughout their academic journey. He called for a renewed focus on foundational literacy and numeracy, arguing that improvements at the basic level would significantly impact outcomes at secondary and tertiary education levels.