President John Dramani Mahama has made his strongest promise yet to eliminate the contentious twin track system in senior high schools, setting 2027 as the final deadline for its abolition.
The $300 million World Bank facility under the Transformative Secondary Education for Access, Results and Relevance for Jobs (STARR-J) project, which will finance the renovation of 50 senior high schools nationwide, served as the foundation for the President’s pledge during his speech in Accra last Wednesday, May 13.
President Mahama stated, “By 2027, there should be no secondary school in Ghana implementing a double track system. The STARR-J project is going to assist the Ghana government achieve its target of bringing an end to double track in our secondary school system by next year.”
Twenty category B schools will be promoted to category A, and thirty category C schools will be upgraded to category B under the project.
According to the President, the investment goes beyond simply expanding infrastructure.
“This strategic investment is not simply about expanding infrastructure; it is fundamentally about promoting equity, improving quality and widening opportunities for every Ghanaian child,” he stated.
By building new E-blocks in urban and peri-urban areas, the STARR-J project will also revitalise the idea of community day schools. The President said that this would relieve demand on current boarding facilities.
“If we get some of the children to go to school within their communities, it will ease the pressure on the boarding schools that are elsewhere,” he explained.
In September 2018, the double track system was implemented as a temporary solution after the Free Senior High School policy, which was implemented in 2017, caused an increase in public SHS enrolment of more than thirty percent.
Students were split into two cohorts under the system, the Green Track and Gold Track, who alternated between scheduled breaks and on-campus attendance at around three-month intervals.
Even though it increased access, parents, teacher unions, and other education stakeholders consistently criticised it, citing worries about long stays at home, an accelerated curriculum, and stress on both teachers and pupils.
In addition to infrastructure, STARR-J will support teachers’ ongoing professional development, including training in digital literacy and integration of artificial intelligence.
Additionally, President Mahama announced changes to the way teachers advance in their careers, stating that senior rank advancement will no longer be contingent on the availability of administration positions.
“Teachers can now progress on merit, competence, experience, performance, and years of dedicated service,” he stated.
The government has earmarked GH¢1 billion from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to complete stalled infrastructure projects at schools currently functioning under the double track arrangement, demonstrating the administration’s determination to make the 2027 aim a reality.
Source: newsthemegh.com