Double-track system good move - Anamuah-Mensah

Professor Jophus Anamuah-Mensah, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba, has said the double-track (semester/sandwich) system meant to cater for the spike in enrolment into Senior High Schools (SHSs) in Ghana due to the free SHS policy, is a good initiative to deal with some of the issues affecting second cycle education in Ghana.

According to him, government cannot immediately build infrastructure to accommodate the high number of students to be enroled into SHSs, hence, the introduction of this programme.

“The programme is critical at the moment,” Prof Anamuah-Mensah told Chief Jerry Forson on Ghana Yensom on Accra 100.5FM Tuesday, 24 July.

He added: “We cannot wait until government builds the infrastructure and also provide all the computers, laboratories and the rest needed within this short-term, at a time more students are preparing to enrol in the senior high schools.

“Provision of infrastructure takes time and that makes the introduction of the double-in-take system, a good initiative.”

Government has explained that the double-in-take is meant to cater for the spike in enrolment into Senior High Schools (SHSs) due to the free SHS policy.

The full implementation of the new system is expected to cost GHS323million. The objective of the double-track system is to create room to accommodate all the students, reduce class size, increase contact hours and increase the number of holidays.

The system is similar to the academic calendar used in the universities. With this system, each track will be in school for specific days for each semester and go on vacation and come back for the second semester. While the first track is in school, the second track will be on vacation and vice-versa.



However, Mr Jones Dzamesi, Secretary to the Conference of Private Senior High Schools (CPSHS), has said, the programme is not the solution to the infrastructural problems facing second-cycle education in Ghana.

Speaking in an interview with Chief Jerry Forson the same day, Mr Dzamesi said: “We acknowledge that Government means well in providing Senior High School education to all Ghanaians but we believe that the double-track system is not the solution to the infrastructural problem facing the sector.

“We have 300 private SHSs in Ghana so the government must rope in the private sector. We in the private sector can partner the government to solve the problem they are trying to solve with the double-in-take system.”

He stressed: “Partnership with the private sector is the way forward.”