The Pressure to Pass: Academic Stress and Its Impact on Youth Mental Health

In Ghana today, success in education is no longer defined by the joy of learning or the development of personal growth—it is measured by one thing: passing exams. From the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) to the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), these once-celebrated milestones have become fear-inducing hurdles that are harming the mental health of our youth.

Behind every exam result is a story of sleepless nights, early dawn routines, endless extra classes, and the harsh threat of failure—not just academically, but socially and emotionally. Many students wake up before 4:00 a.m., spend hours commuting, studying, and being drilled, only to return home late into the night. For many, this is followed by corporal punishment and shame for any perceived underperformance. Instead of nurturing creativity and curiosity, our schools have become exam factories—pumping out anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and in some tragic cases, suicidal ideation.

This crisis is not just about stress. It’s about how we define success, how we treat failure, and how we care for our children. We must ask ourselves: What are we truly preparing our students for—life, or a lifetime of pressure?

Solutions for a Healthier Academic Journey

1. Redesign the Educational Framework to Support Mental Health:
   Ghana must adopt a more balanced approach to education that goes beyond testing memory. We need a curriculum that promotes emotional intelligence, creative thinking, social skills, and resilience. Exams should assess diverse intelligences—not just rote memorization.
2. Mental Health Services in Every School:
   Just as every school has a headmaster and subject teachers, so too should every school have access to trained mental health professionals—counselors, psychologists, and social workers equipped to handle emotional crises and academic-related stress.
3. End Corporal Punishment and Shame-Based Motivation:
   We must abolish outdated disciplinary measures that associate learning with fear. Motivation through punishment doesn’t build stronger students—it breaks them. Let us replace fear-based discipline with positive reinforcement, encouragement, and empathy.
4. Teacher and Parent Education Programs:
   Equip educators and guardians with knowledge and tools to recognize signs of burnout, anxiety, and emotional distress. Conduct regular training on how to respond compassionately, and how to support rather than pressure students.
5. Review National Examination Policies:
   Stakeholders—Ghana Education Service, WAEC, and the Ministry of Education—must begin a national dialogue to explore reforms that reduce exam intensity. Alternatives such as continuous assessments, project-based learning, and student portfolios must be considered.
6. Create a Culture That Celebrates Every Learner:
   Every student has value beyond grades. We must start celebrating artistic talents, vocational skills, leadership, compassion, and problem-solving abilities with the same energy we celebrate ‘A’ grades.
7. Introduce Well-Being Periods and Mindfulness Programs:
   Schools can dedicate time weekly to practices such as stress management workshops, meditation, peer-led discussions, physical activity, and self-care education. These build emotional stability and inner strength.
8. Engage Faith-Based and Community Leaders:
   Churches, mosques, and traditional authorities wield influence and can help change public perception around failure, exams, and mental health. They can also serve as community hubs for mental health awareness and youth mentorship.

A National Wake-Up Call

We are raising a generation of anxious achievers—students who excel on paper but are exhausted in spirit. It is not enough to produce brilliant minds if we are breaking the hearts that carry them.

Let us rise to protect the future of our nation—not just by passing exams, but by passing on courage, compassion, and care.

To all educational stakeholders, parents, leaders, and students—let us choose a better way. A more humane way. A way that values mental health as much as academic success.

The time to act is now.

To learn more, invite Dr. David Rex Orgen to speak at your school, or access mental health resources for students, visit www.inspiremindglobal.com. Let’s build an education system where our children thrive, not just survive.