Double-track SHS system to end in 2027 – President Mahama reassures
President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his administration’s determination to abolish the double-track system in senior high schools by the end of 2027.
He stated that by the end of 2027, no senior high school in Ghana should still be operating the double-track system. According to him, the objective is to ensure that all students attend school and go on vacation at the same time.
President Mahama said ending the system would increase contact hours between teachers and students and ultimately contribute to better educational outcomes.
He made the remarks during a Citizens’ Engagement in Wa, held as part of the climax of his two-day Resetting Ghana Tour of the Upper West Region.
The President disclosed that the government had secured a $300 million World Bank facility to support efforts to eliminate the double-track system.
Addressing challenges in the education sector, President Mahama said his administration inherited a Free Senior High School programme that had been introduced without a dedicated and sustainable funding mechanism.
He explained that, as a result, schools had to rely on delayed budgetary releases, leaving headmasters to frequently raise concerns about inadequate funding and shortages of food supplies.
According to him, irregular deliveries meant that some schools were sometimes forced to feed students with whatever food items were available at the time.
President Mahama said the government had since introduced dedicated funding for senior high schools as well as specific financing for student feeding programmes.
“Today, we have established dedicated funding for senior high schools. We have also created dedicated financing for student feeding, and complaints from headmasters have reduced considerably,” he said.
The President also addressed the recently released West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results, which have attracted significant public debate.
He said he would not engage in a debate over the statistics, noting that the figures were publicly available for examination.
President Mahama, however, expressed satisfaction that the results represented students’ genuine performance, attributing the outcome partly to stronger examination supervision and a decline in organised examination malpractice.
“The era when students felt entitled to leaked answers and attacked teachers who enforced discipline must remain behind us,” he said.
“Our children must succeed because they have learned, and our teachers must teach with integrity,” President Mahama added.
