President of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), Daniel Korley Botchway, has expressed strong support for the government’s decision to phase out the Double-Track system in Senior High Schools by 2027, a move that has sparked mixed reactions from key stakeholders in the education sector.
His remarks come after the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, announced that the Double-Track system would be scrapped within the next two years. The minister made this known during an engagement with the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) at a meeting held in Sunyani, in the Bono Region.
As part of the transition, the minister explained that the government would implement key reforms, including a curriculum overhaul and the restructuring of the administration of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), to ensure the smooth phase-out of the system.
Speaking on Campus Exclusive, Botchway described the announcement as a step in the right direction. He stressed that removing the double-track system would not deny students access to education.
“The removal of the Double-Track system does not mean that students will lose access to education. They will still benefit from Ghana’s educational system, just not under the constraints of the double-track,” he said.
He added that the phase-out signals the government’s continued investment in educational infrastructure.
“I am not worried at all. I don’t think it has any negative correlation with the Free SHS policy. From the timelines shared by the Minister, it’s clear that the government intends to continue investing in dormitories and classroom blocks to accommodate all students at once.”
However, former NUGS President Daniel Oppong Kyeremeh expressed reservations about the plan. Also speaking on Campus Exclusive, he cautioned that ending the system too quickly without addressing existing infrastructure challenges could hinder access to free senior high school education.
“Eliminating the double track is a systematic thing that at a point could have been done. I will be surprised if the minister says that, okay double track will be eliminated within a few weeks.If immediately you eliminate it, you are stopping a lot of students from accessing senior high school education. Currently free senior high school absorbs thousands of people, immediately you stop the double track without putting in the necessary facilities to accommodate the numbers. The numbers has dropped drastically to 500 and that it goes against the main ordeal or the main reason why free senior high school was brought forth.” he warned
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Story by: Gabriel Opoku | univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by: Cindy Selasi Humade
