President John Dramani Mahama has reiterated a firm commitment to abolishing the double track system in senior high schools, setting 2027 as the definitive deadline for its full phase-out.
Addressing stakeholders in Accra on Wednesday, May 13, the President linked the reform to a major education financing arrangement supported by the World Bank, aimed at expanding and upgrading secondary school infrastructure across the country.
He indicated that the intervention, backed by a $300 million facility from the World Bank under the Transformative Secondary Education for Access, Results and Relevance for Jobs (STARR-J) initiative, will be central to eliminating the system.
“By 2027, there should be no secondary school implementing a double track system in Ghana,” President Mahama declared. “The STARR-J project is going to assist the Ghana government achieve its target of bringing an end to double track in our secondary school system by next year.”
The programme is expected to finance major upgrades in 50 senior high schools nationwide. Under the plan, 30 Category C schools will be elevated to Category B status, while 20 Category B institutions will be upgraded to Category A level, as part of efforts to expand access and improve learning conditions.
The President said the investment goes beyond physical expansion, stressing its broader impact on equity and educational quality. “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 stressed.
The STARR-J initiative will also see the revival of the community day school model through the construction of new E-block facilities in selected urban and peri-urban areas. According to the President, this approach is intended to reduce congestion in boarding schools by allowing more students to attend schools closer to home.
“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,” he explained.
The double track system, introduced in 2018 as part of the Free Senior High School expansion policy, split students into alternating academic calendars—commonly referred to as Green Track and Gold Track—to accommodate rising enrolment levels. While it helped absorb increased admissions, it has faced sustained criticism from education stakeholders over curriculum pressure, extended home periods, and administrative strain.
Beyond infrastructure, the STARR-J programme will also support teacher development, including training in digital skills and artificial intelligence integration. President Mahama further announced reforms to teacher career progression, noting that advancement will no longer be tied to administrative vacancies.
“Teachers can now progress on merit, competence, experience, performance, and years of dedicated service,” he said.
In addition, the government has allocated GH¢1 billion from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to complete stalled infrastructure projects in schools still operating under the double track system, reinforcing what officials describe as a coordinated push to meet the 2027 deadline.
