Strengthen basic education to reverse English WASSCE decline – Carbonu

HomeNewsRegional NewsAhafo RegionAshanti RegionBono East RegionBono RegionCentral RegionEastern RegionGreater Accra RegionNorthern RegionNorth East RegionOti RegionSavanna RegionUpper East RegionUpper West RegionVolta RegionWestern RegionWestern North RegionSportsWorld CupPoliticsBusinessEntertainmentArticlesExplainersEditorials No Result View All Result HomeNewsRegional NewsAhafo RegionAshanti RegionBono East RegionBono RegionCentral RegionEastern RegionGreater Accra RegionNorthern RegionNorth East RegionOti RegionSavanna RegionUpper East RegionUpper West RegionVolta RegionWestern RegionWestern North RegionSportsWorld CupPoliticsBusinessEntertainmentArticlesExplainersEditorials No Result View All Result No Result View All ResultStrengthen basic education to reverse English WASSCE decline – Carbonu byLeticia Osei September 8, 2026 Reading Time: 2 mins read Former President of NAGRAT, Angel Carbonu ShareShareShare Former President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu, has called for a significant increase in attention to public basic schools to address the declining performance of students in English Language. His comments follow a decline in the proportion of candidates who obtained grades A1 to C6 in English Language in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), from 73.11 per cent in 2023 to 69.52 per cent in 2024, 69 per cent in 2025 and 62.40 per cent in 2026. The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has attributed the decline to poor reading habits, grammatical weaknesses and the growing use of informal language on social media by candidates. The Head of Public Affairs at WAEC, John Kapi, said although candidates generally performed better in the 2026 WASSCE than in 2025, English Language was an exception. “The results have been an improvement on the previous year’s performance except for English Language, which saw a decline.” Speaking during an interview with Bernard Avle on Channel One TV’s The Point of View on Monday, September 7, Mr Carbonu said the country’s focus on senior high school education had come at the expense of basic education. He said greater attention must be given to literacy and numeracy at the basic school level, describing them as the foundation upon which students build their education. “Concentration on our public basic schools in this country will have to increase and increase tremendously,” he suggested. Mr Carbonu said the government must improve infrastructure, provide adequate teaching and learning materials, motivate teachers and ensure that the learning environment is conducive to effective teaching. “How many children, as at the time they get to Class Four in primary school, are proficient in English language, literacy and numeracy? These are the foundations of education.” He argued that weaknesses in English and Mathematics at the basic school level could not easily be corrected at the senior high school level. “If your English is bad, your English is bad. If your mathematics is bad, your mathematics is bad.” Mr Carbonu also described the teaching and learning of English and Mathematics in Ghanaian schools as a longstanding challenge that required sustained attention. Source: Citi News — https://www.citinewsroom.com/2026/09/strengthen-basic-education-to-reverse-english-wassce-decline-carbonu/