Haruna Iddrisu, the Minister for Education has revealed that the John Mahama government is taking all the necessary steps to ensure that the Double-Track system at the Senior High School level is phased out by 2027.
The sector minister revealed they are working on a revised curriculum If the government is to succeed in ending the double-track system.
Speaking in an engagement with members of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) at a meeting held in Sunyani in the Bono Region, Haruna Iddrisu stated, “We are working to revise the curriculum…If the government is to succeed in ending the double-track system, not later than Monday, you should have a board so that all expenditures are properly approved by the board.
“We expect that by the year 2027, the double-track system will be a thing of the past,” he added.
Meanwhile, former Deputy Education Minister, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has warned the National Democratic Congress (NDC) against cancelling the double track system under the free Senior High School (SHS) policy.
According to him, the double track system was implemented under the erstwhile New Patriotic Party (NPP) government to ease pressure on limited infrastructure in Senior High Schools.
He indicated that abolishing the double-track system would result in over 500,000 students being unable to go to school.
“Abolishing the double track system would mean sending 500,000 students home. Our current infrastructure can only support only 1 million out of the 1.5m students,” he stated.
He emphasized the need for continuous adjustments to maximize its objectives, pointing to the controversial double-track system as a necessary measure to ensure inclusivity.
He strongly defended the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy, calling it one of the most impactful initiatives in Ghana’s history.
Free SHS was creditably implemented. Of course, the best policy that has ever been implemented in any part of the world will be that policy that had in itself challenges that were visible,” he stated.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) party ahead of the December 7 polls promised to cancel the double-track system run in Senior High Schools (SHSs).
