By Nelson Ayivor
Hamza Suhuyini, a leading member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) communication team has sharply criticized the University of Ghana (UG) for its decision to maintain stringent admission cut-off points for the 2025/2026 academic year.
He described the lack of flexibility as “extremely unacceptable” in light of the mass failure recorded in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
Suhuyini argued that while the University of Ghana is committed to upholding academic standards, it must acknowledge that the unusually poor performance may be due to factors beyond the students’ control and adjust its entry requirements accordingly to prevent deserving students from being shut out of tertiary education.
“UG’s decision not to raise the cut-off point is extremely unacceptable. I think universities need to be flexible. It is possible that this failure could be due to factors beyond the students themselves”
The NDC communicator stressed that it is reasonable for tertiary institutions to adjust their requirements based on the current performance trends, particularly given the unprecedented decline.
The 2025 WASSCE results showed a significant collapse in student performance. Core Mathematics recorded the sharpest drop, with A1-C6 passes falling from 305,132 in 2024 to 209,068 in 2025 – a decline of over 96,000 passes. The overall pass rate stood at just 48.73%, leaving more than half of all candidates below the grades typically required for university admission.
Suhuyini suggested that UG should re-evaluate its thresholds in highly affected courses.
“We need to understand that the UG’s decision not to raise the cut-off point will be problematic. For example, instead of maintaining an aggregate 8 in certain courses, UG should consider these figures and possibly move it from aggregate 8 to 10.”
He acknowledged that previous years might have justified stricter cut-off points, but current statistics necessitate a more compassionate approach to the eligibility of the current cohort.
Zipline Contract Under Scrutiny:
Suhuyini also moved to clarify the government’s position on the controversial Zipline medical drone contract, insisting that the administration is currently committed to a review, not termination.
He clarified the government’s policy, strongly debunking claims that the administration is planning to terminate the agreement entirely, despite calls from some members within the NDC, including Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, who described the program as a “total waste of state resources.”
The NDC communicator insisted that the ongoing engagements and reviews are aimed at ensuring value for money and strengthening the drone service, not scrapping a system recognized for its importance, particularly for district-level emergency services.
He further argued that the need for a review was a direct result of the previous NPP administration’s negligence in contract oversight. “What kind of mechanisms did they put in place to guide them? The more Zipline flies, the more we pay them. So how were we monitoring these supplies?” he questioned.
Referencing Health Minister Mintah Akandoh’s report that Zipline was delivering non-essential items, Suhuyini stressed that the absence of adequate monitoring systems created room for the documented wasteful spending, noting that the new NDC administration would not repeat those mistakes.
“What kind of infrastructure did they have to ensure value for money? Absolutely none. A new responsible government has come into office, and you want us to continue in that trajectory of taking things for granted? Nobody has said anywhere that we are going to terminate the Zipline contract.”
He maintained that the government’s focus is pragmatic: evaluating the data, engaging Zipline, and ensuring the company fulfils its core mandate effectively and concluded by asserting the system’s value to the country.
“The importance of such a system is not lost on the government – we will do everything within our power to ensure that we have such a service in the system, even if it is not Zipline as a company,” he assured.