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Post-war education system has not found its rightful footing, and according to experts, the outcome of this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) has further revealed the nakedness of the system.
Since the end of the civil war that destroyed the country’s once remarkable education system, efforts by past and present governments and partners seem less effective to getting the system back on track.
This year’s WASSCE results have however renewed scrutiny following the release of the 2025 , which revealed that only 822 students passed at least five subjects with credit, including English and Mathematics, out of more than 51,000 candidates who sat the exams.
The provisional results, released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Liberia National Office recently, show that just 1.6% of students met the benchmark for credit passes in core subjects-raising alarm across the country about the quality of learning and preparedness in secondary schools.
WAEC’s Head of National Office, Mr. Dale G. Gbotoe, made the announcement during a press conference held in Congo Town last weekend, confirmed that 51,719 students were examined across 379 centers nationwide.
“Although we’ve seen slight improvements in other national exams, the WASSCE results remain deeply concerning,” Mr. Gbotoe said.
Other statistics from the WASSCE include: 28,576 candidates passed at least 5 subjects (including English and Math) with any grade, 37,081 passed at least 4 subjects, 42,970 passed at least 3 subjects.
In a further blow, results for 1,944 candidates have been withheld due to suspected examination malpractice. Investigations are ongoing.
While the Liberia Junior High School Certificate Examination (LJHSCE), Primary School Certificate Examination (LPSCE), and National Assessment Test (LNAT) showed moderate improvements, the sharp underperformance in WASSCE paints a bleak picture for the nation’s future workforce.
Despite the setback, WAEC announced hopeful changes for 2026. A total of 39 new subjects will be introduced next year, allowing students to choose up to nine subjects that better align with their academic strengths and career paths.
Also present at the press conference, Deputy Minister for Instructions, Amos Fully, praised WAEC-Liberia for its effort but urged school authorities to prioritize better preparation. “The low performance is a wake-up call,” Fully said. “We must all work together to restore academic excellence.”
Certificates for the 2023 exams will be available for collection starting December 2025, while early registration for the 2026 exams will begin in September and run through December.
As Liberia reflects on these sobering results, the education sector faces urgent calls for reform to ensure that no child is left behind.
There are calls for the government to augment the Ministry of Education budget in order to hire more quality teachers across the country and also conduct training for teachers to build up their respective capacities.
Private schools are also urged to hire top quality teachers and pay them handsomely to get the desired results in the educational system.
Also, the near-unregulated establishment of schools across Monrovia and parts adjacent, as well as the hiring of high schools graduates as teachers. Others also blame Liberian students who, now a days, depend on the internet for everything, without having time to study lessons teachers are giving.
“This is not only the lack of support or low budget to the Ministry of Education, this is a combination of students not studying their lessons, relying on the internet for tests, assignments and everything they do in school,” said one expert.
Unless these factors are addressed, experts believed that the situation remain the same or even get worst in the year ahead.