LIHEDE proposes Liberian-written textbooks, study guides and teacher handbooks as answer to persistent WASSCE mass failures, citing shocking 2025 pass rate of 1.59%
By: John Kamara Taylor
MONROVIA – The Liberia History Education and Development (LIHEDE), an education advocacy organization, has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Education and the Liberia arm of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) calling for the commissioning of Liberian authors to write the country’s core textbooks.
In a letter dated September 6, 2026, addressed to the Minister of Education and the Head of the National Office of WAEC Liberia, the group argues that the persistent mass failure in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) stems not from dull students but from “an unequal system with books not written for their reality.”
A THIRTEEN-YEAR TREND OF FAILURE
Citing statistics spanning more than a decade, LIHEDE painted a grim picture of the nation’s examination performance. In 2013, when Liberia first piloted WASSCE, the University of Liberia entrance exam saw 25,000 candidates—with not a single one passing both Math and English. The following year, only 15 of 13,000 candidates succeeded.
The organization noted that in 2018, 33,979 candidates sat for WASSCE with just 11,544 passing a pass rate of 33.85 percent. By 2025, the situation had worsened dramatically: of 51,719 candidates, only 822 a mere 1.59 percent obtained credits in five subjects including English and Mathematics, while 1,944 results were withheld over malpractice allegations.
Although results improved in 2026, with 60.4 percent passing at least five subjects, LIHEDE pointed out that one school out of 1,126 still recorded every candidate failing all subjects.
THE PROPOSED SOLUTION
The group’s central recommendation is that the Ministry of Education commission Liberian university professors, high school teachers, and WAEC examiners to author the nation’s core educational materials.
The proposal includes three integrated components: Liberian-authored textbooks that fully cover the WAEC syllabus while drawing on Liberian examples “our rivers, our farms, our history, our environment” in simple, accessible language; student study guides featuring step-by-step explanations of past WASSCE questions, practice exercises with answers, and methods for learning practicals without a laboratory; and teacher handbooks containing 36-week lesson plans, strategies for teaching with low-cost local materials, and guidance on managing large classes.
WHY IT WILL WORK
Drawing comparisons with regional peers, LIHEDE argued that Ghana has Ghanaian authors and Nigeria has Nigerian authors writing for the same WAEC standard and Liberia must follow suit.
“We are not lowering the standard. We are explaining the same standard in a way our children can understand,” the letter stated. “When a child sees himself in the book, he will understand the book.”
The organization maintained that a teacher equipped with a handbook authored by a fellow Liberian who understands what it means to teach without a laboratory will teach more effectively.
EARLIER RECOMMENDATIONS RETAINED
LIHEDE reaffirmed its previous calls, including a 50 percent continuous assessment plus 50 percent final exam formula, a resource audit alongside results, and a Ministry Completion Certificate for all students who complete Grade 12.
“The continuous portrayal of Liberian students as dull is a mindset we must change at all levels,” the group declared. “A nation that does not write its own books will always struggle with its exams.”
Concluding with a rallying cry, the organization urged: “Let us stop importing failure and start writing success.”
Neither the Ministry of Education nor WAEC Liberia had responded publicly to the proposal at the time of reporting.