Mahama announces : Double track system to end by 2027

President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the government will end the double-track system in senior high schools across the country by 2027 through expanded infrastructure and major reforms under the newly launched STARR-J education initiative.

Speaking at the commissioning of the PET CT scan facility at the Sweden-Ghana Medical Centre (SGMC) in Accra, President Mahama said the Secondary Education Transformation for Access, Results and Relevance for Jobs (STARR-J) project would help address congestion in schools and improve the quality of secondary education nationwide.

“The STARR-J project is going to assist Ghana government achieve its target of bringing an end to double track in our secondary school system by next year,” he stated.

“By 2027, there should be no secondary school implementing a double-track system in Ghana,” the President declared.

According to him, government has secured a $300 million World Bank facility to upgrade 50 senior high schools under the initiative as part of efforts to improve access and infrastructure within the education sector.

President Mahama explained that 30 Category C senior high schools would be upgraded to Category B, while 20 Category B schools would also be upgraded to Category A status.

“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 said.

The President also disclosed that the project would operationalize the community day school concept through the construction of new E-blocks in urban and peri-urban communities to reduce pressure on existing boarding schools.

“These are going to be community day schools built in urban communities where it is easy for the children to commute to school and back,” he explained.

“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.”

President Mahama noted that ending the double-track system would not only improve learning conditions for students but also provide teachers with adequate time to rest and prepare effectively for lessons.

“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,” he added.

Beyond infrastructure expansion, the President said the STARR-J initiative would also focus on improving teaching quality through continuous professional development programmes for teachers in secondary schools and technical and vocational institutions.

He stated that teachers would be equipped with modern skills including digital literacy, artificial intelligence integration, critical thinking and learner-centred teaching 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,” he stressed.

President Mahama described education as the foundation of national development and reiterated government’s commitment to strengthening the sector through targeted investments and reforms.