Presby Church Backs Double Track

The Acting Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev. Dr. Victor Okoe Abbey has expressed confidence in the newly introduced Double-Intake System for Senior High Schools (SHS).

According to him, the double track system is an innovative step whose end-result would lead to an increase in quality of the country’ Free SHS (FSHS) structure.

Speaking to Journalists on the side-lines at the Church’s 18th General Assembly at Akropong Akuapem in the Eastern Region, Rev. Abbey noted that the double track is the only bailout available to rescue the FSHS.

“For me this is an innovative way through which we can take all the children who have qualified. Once they have qualified, we cannot say we will deny them the education because we don’t have enough schools,” he said.

Rev. Abbey therefore called on government to be attentive to criticisms and carry out continuous broad consultations in order to avoid backlashes in the near future.

He said, “We need to look at it properly so that we do it in such a way that none of the children will be short changed and the nation will not suffer for giving the children inferior education.”

“Let’s start with the first year and see how it goes and then we can give more advise to the government. I think at the moment and circumstances, we don’t have any better alternative since we cannot build schools now,” the moderator added.

Lots of criticisms have arisen since government announced the implementation of a “double-intake” system to mitigate the challenges facing the Free SHS (FSHS) programme.

Double Track

The government through the Ministry of Education (MoE) had announced its decision to begin a new enrolment system that would mitigate the challenges encountered by the free senior high school (FSHS) programme.

After its implementation in September last year, the FSHS had been laden with numerous pitfalls including congested dormitories and high-class sizes of up to 160 students―negatively affecting teaching and learning.

For these reasons and more, the MoE has selected 400 out of the 696 public SHSs to run the double-track programme.

The double track system which begins in September, will divide the entire student body and staff into two different tracks. So, while one track is in school, the other would be holidaying.

By: Grace Ablewor Sogbey/ [email protected]