Gov’t to Address Challenges with Double Track System – Minister

Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Minister of Information, has expressed government’s determination to work tirelessly with all stakeholders to address the challenges that may arise as a result of the double track Senior High School system.

It has assured that all the problems that have come up with the implementation of the double track system will be dealt with immediately by the government.

This was contained in a speech read on his behalf at a town hall meeting organised by his outfit at Twifo-Praso in the the Twifo Atimokwa District on Tuesday.

The Double-Track System is to create room to absorb more students into SHSs, thus increasing enrolment, reduce class sizes, increase contact hours and increase the number of holidays, and would be achieved with the existing infrastructure.

He said at best, the double track system would help address the challenges facing the implementation of the free SHS as a temporal intervention until the needed infrastructure was put in place; stating that, not all SHSs would be on the Double-Track system.

Giving statistics to buttress government’s commitment to education, he announced that, the ministry has supplied 96,403 mono desk, 33,171 pieces of dinning furniture, 3,033 teachers chairs and tables, 12,953 students beds, 4,335 students mattresses as well as 5,135 computer laboratory chairs.

He called on Ghanaians to stop the apprehension of the double Track System and make meaningful suggestions that would enhance its successful implementation and effectiveness of the system.

The system, according to him had worked successfully elsewhere therefore the decision by government was not out of the blues but from critical analysis of the benefits thereof.

He said government’s plan to implement the system was to ensure that no youth was left behind, adding that, about 180,000 students were most likely to be left behind if they do not get admissions into schools in September, when the academic calendar begins.

Some participants in an interview with the Ghana News Agency after the forum, called on the government to use the oil revenues to finance the free education policy to ensure financial viability and sustainability.

They raised concerns about the bad roads and drains, governance and security issues, lack of social amenities in their communities, insanitary condition, delay in disbursing the disability fund and the need to revive defunct factories, among others.

Source: GNA