Mahama unveils $300 million education transformation plan for secondary schools
President John Dramani Mahama has announced a major $300 million education transformation initiative aimed at upgrading secondary school infrastructure, improving teaching quality and expanding access to education across Ghana.
The initiative, known as the Secondary Education Transformation for Access, Results and Relevance for Jobs (STARR-J) project, is being funded through a facility secured from the World Bank and will focus on upgrading 50 senior high schools nationwide.
Speaking at the commissioning of the PET CT scan facility at the Sweden-Ghana Medical Centre (SGMC) in Accra, President Mahama said the programme forms part of government’s broader agenda to modernize the country’s education sector and better prepare students for the demands of the future economy.
“In this regard, government has secured a $300 million facility from the World Bank to upgrade 50 senior high schools nationwide,” the President announced.
According to him, the project will upgrade 30 Category C senior high schools to Category B status, while 20 Category B schools will also be elevated to Category A.
“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.
President Mahama explained that the STARR-J initiative would also revive and operationalize the community day school concept through the construction of new E-blocks in urban and peri-urban communities to reduce congestion in existing boarding schools.
“These are going to be community day schools built in urban communities where it is easy for children to commute to school and back,” he said.
“So what this means is that 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.”
Beyond infrastructure expansion, the President stressed that the programme would prioritize quality teaching and learning, particularly in technical and vocational education and training (TVET), to align education with the needs of industry and the modern economy.
He disclosed that all secondary school teachers under the initiative would benefit from continuous professional development programmes aimed at enhancing classroom delivery and strengthening digital competencies.
“As part of this initiative, all teachers in our secondary schools will benefit from continuous professional development programmes designed to sharpen their skills and improve classroom effectiveness,” he said.
President Mahama noted that the training programmes would equip teachers with critical 21st-century skills, including digital literacy, innovative teaching methods, artificial intelligence integration and learner-centred approaches.
“Our objective is clear — to ensure that every teacher is not only well-qualified, but also continuously empowered to deliver relevant high-quality education that prepares our young people not merely for examinations, but for life, work, innovation and national development,” he stressed.
The President further reiterated government’s commitment to ending the double-track system in senior high schools by 2027, saying the planned infrastructure expansion would help absorb increasing student enrolment.
“By 2027, there should be no secondary school implementing a double-track system in Ghana,” he declared.
He added that eliminating the system would also allow teachers enough time to rest and adequately prepare teaching and learning materials.
“This will also give teachers the time to rest and also to be able to prepare their notes and all their teaching and learning material,” President Mahama added.
