A heartbreaking video of a Senior High School (SHS) graduate who scored aggregate 44 in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and declared he would not return home has ignited nationwide debate about student performance, parental pressure, and alternative career paths.
The emotional confrontation, captured and shared on TikTok by user @nakiyatt7, shows the young man’s elder sister discovering him standing alone clutching a brown envelope containing his results slip. The Assin Manso Senior High School Visual Arts student failed all four core subjects, recording F9 in English Language, Core Mathematics, Integrated Science, and Social Studies.
His elective subjects offered only marginal improvement:
- Ceramics – C6
- General Knowledge in Art – C6
- Graphic Design – C5
- Picture Making – D7
The grades combined to produce an aggregate of 44, effectively shutting the door on university admission under Ghana’s current tertiary entry requirements.
In the widely circulated clip, the sister is heard expressing shock and disappointment, reminding her brother of the financial and emotional investment their father made in his education. Visibly distraught, the young man insisted he had excelled in his practical examinations and never anticipated such poor results. He then made a chilling admission: he could not face going home because of how his father would react.
As of Wednesday evening, the video had garnered over 19,000 likes and nearly 1,000 comments, becoming one of the most talked-about WASSCE-related posts of the year.
Public Reaction: Sympathy Mixed with Calls to “Learn a Trade”
Ghanaians flooded the comment section with a blend of empathy, humour, and practical advice:
- “Instead of learning Social Studies they are learning social media” – @free star
- “WAEC too why… you didn’t even give him one core subject” – FavoredByDivinity
- “This year most candidates failed Social Studies too much” – No Fake Friends
Many urged the graduate to consider vocational training, apprenticeship, or resitting the examination rather than viewing the results as the end of the road.
A Symptom of a Larger Crisis
The viral moment comes amid growing national concern over the 2025 WASSCE performance. President John Dramani Mahama has directed the Ministry of Education to urgently review the examiners’ report following a noticeable decline in passes, particularly in the core subjects.
Education stakeholders point to several contributing factors: over-reliance on practical components, inadequate preparation for written papers, excessive social media use, and mounting pressure on students.
Messages of Hope and Alternative Pathways
Despite the setback, social media users have rallied around the young man, suggesting viable next steps:
- Enrolling in technical or vocational institutions
- Registering as a private candidate to rewrite the WASSCE
- Pursuing apprenticeships in ceramics, graphic design, or other art-related trades
- Exploring entrepreneurship using his Visual Arts skills