Double Track is a clever idea but poorly communicated – Ashesi University Founder

Ghanaian Entrepreneur and Founder of Ashesi University, Patrick Awuah has endorsed government’s idea of a double track system for Senior High Schools (SHSs) in the country by describing it as a clever idea.

Government introduced the double track system following the commencement of the Free Senior High School policy as a temporal measure to contain the overwhelming number of students amidst limited infrastructure.

Though the decision received widespread condemnation from a section of Ghanaians, the astute educationalist and founder of a leading private and non-profit making university has lauded the idea.

“I don’t know whose idea it was to have two tracks, to have kids in school for six months and out of school for six months. It’s a very clever idea” he said in an address captured in a video and seen by MyNewsGh.com.

Justifying his reason for praising the idea, he stated further “The reason I think it is a clever idea is because it sweats our assets. We don’t have a lot of money and yet we have this challenge of educating everyone in an environment where population growth guarantees unless we change the rate [that] population will double in 30 years”.

He noted that the idea has allowed for the maximum use of infrastructure and increased contact hours.

“So for five months, infrastructure was sitting idle every year. What they’ve done is that the seven months of work has been squeezed now into six months, with more contact hours per day; so that, even though the kids are at school for just six months out of the year, instead of seven months, they have more contact hours than they did before,” he said.

Mr. Awuah however stated that lack of proper communication on the system accounted for the apprehension and widespread objection to the program when it was introduced.

“I don’t think this has been communicated well enough to the citizens of Ghana. People don’t understand why this has to happen and why this is happening in terms of contact hours ? so that kids will get the education that they need.”

“This idea has the potential of not only helping Ghana really solve the problem of access, but if we do it right it will become a model for the rest of the continent,” he said.