Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, former Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), has cautioned that the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) proposal to abolish the double track system within 100 days in office could effectively cancel the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.
The double-track system, introduced to maximize school infrastructure usage, allows 4,500 students to enroll in a school with 3,000 available spaces.
Abolishing it would deny 1.8 million students access to free SHS/TVET over four years.
Insights
Speaking on the issue, Prof. Opoku-Amankwa emphasizes that the double-track system is the nucleus of the Free SHS policy. Any attempt to tinker with it without proper planning would collapse the entire policy.
He explained that any attempt to abolish the double-track calendar would deny an estimated 1,800,000 students access to free senior high school and technical vocational education and training (FSHS/TVET).
He explained that the double-track schools now operate a transitional calendar, which allows schools to make maximum use of their available spaces.
According to him, a transitional calendar allows schools to operate without dividing any year group into two or double-tracking any year group: No Green or Gold Tracks.
However, to maximize the use of their infrastructure, two out of the three groups will be in school at any given time.
Under the previous trimester system, teacher-student contact hours in an academic year were 1,080 hours, and 3,240 hours for the three years.
He added, “Under the double track/transitional calendar and semester system, teacher-student contact hours in an academic year are 1,134 hours and 3,402 hours for the three years”.
This means under the double track/transitional calendar, students do 162 hours more than in the old system.
This has been reflected in their excellent performance in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), since 2020.
Stakes are High
With an 83% transition rate from junior high to senior high, abolishing double track could undermine efforts to achieve 100% transition.
Opinion
“The proposal by former President Mahama and the NDC to abolish double track within 100 days in office is a subtle way of saying NDC will cancel free secondary education,” Prof. Opoku-Amankwa warns.
NPP’s Counterplan
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) vows to protect and enhance the Free SHS policy, phasing out the double track by leveraging improved infrastructure.
He noted that the government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) and other initiatives, has completed over 4,000 projects, including dormitories, classroom blocks, and many other facilities as of September 2024, on secondary and technical school campuses.
Further, to maintain quality teaching and learning, the government has employed over 50,000 teaching and non-teaching staff to augment the existing SHS/TVET staff and provide teaching and learning materials to students.
With the continued increase in patronage in the FSHS/TVET, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and the NPP say they will protect and enhance the Free Secondary Education policy, with a strong emphasis on TVET and STEM, by continuing to fully fund the policy.
Further, the Presidential candidate of NPP, Dr Bawumia says he will leverage improved infrastructure to phase out the double track and harmonise the academic calendar across secondary schools.
However, the proposal by the former President to abolish double track within 100 days in office is a subtle way of saying NDC will cancel free secondary education.
-BY Daniel Bampoe