Double-track has impacted education quality negatively— Education Minister
25th August 2025
The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has announced that the government is taking concrete steps to eliminate the double-track system in Senior High Schools (SHSs), citing its negative impact on academic performance.
Speaking at a media briefing on Sunday, August 24, 2025, Mr. Iddrisu said the policy, originally introduced to address overcrowding in SHSs has had unintended consequences that compromise educational quality.
“The double-track system has impacted negatively on the quality and outcomes of education under the Free SHS policy. Students have fewer contact hours and less study time, which affects their performance.
To ensure a smooth transition back to a single-track system, the government is focusing on three key areas:
“Government’s commitment to ending the system can only be realised at three levels: expanding infrastructure, strengthening digital resources in schools, and allowing private SHSs to absorb qualified students to ease the pressure,” he said at a media briefing.
As part of this effort, the Ministry of Education has constituted an 11-member technical committee to develop a roadmap for phasing out the double-track system across both SHSs and Senior High Technical Schools (SHTSs).
The committee is chaired by Prof. Peter Grant of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) and has been tasked with reviewing the 2024/2025 academic calendar and recommending a strategy for the full transition.
Other committee members include:
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Prof. Godwin Awabil – University of Cape Coast (UCC)
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Prof. Samuel A. Atintono – PRINCOF
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Prof. Smile Gavua Dzisi (Mrs.) – Deputy Director-General (Management Services), GES
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Dr. Munawaru Issahaque – Deputy Director-General (Quality and Access), GES
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D. W. Agbenyo – WAEC
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Dr. Rosemond Wilson – WAEC
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Mr. Augustus Agyemfra – CODE
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Mr. David Odjidja – CHASS
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Addo Nicholas Nii Kpakpoe – COHBS
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Prince Charles Agyemang-Duah – Schools & Instructions Division, GES