President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on Ghanaians to ignore negativity associated with the double-track school system, which will be implemented in September 2018 for some selected Senior High Schools in the country.

According to President Akufo-Addo, despite the pessimism about the policy, he is committed to ensuring that the programme becomes a success adding that he will never introduce a policy that will jeopardize the educational system in Ghana.

Speaking on Sunday, 12th August, 2018, at Mpasaaso, in the Ahafo Ano North constituency, after inspecting construction works on the 19.5 kilometre Mpasaaso to Wioso Road, President Akufo-Addo stated that when the free SHS policy begun in September 2017, the naysayers were optimistic that the policy would fail.

He added that; “We are going to make sure it is a success. So, I am pleading with you, please ignore the Pharisees who are singing the ‘impossible’ tune, and stick with me. It will be a success.”

“The logical thing for them (naysayers) was for each person to pay for their education. Ghanaians chose to believe in me, and the Free SHS vision by the vote of the 7th December. Ghanaians indicated that they wanted Free SHS; that was the meaning of the emphatic vote I received in December 2016.

“We are not going to go back on that, not today, not tomorrow! So, whenever the naysayers come to spread their lies, hoot at them, and do not give them audience,” President Akufo-Addo added.

With 90,000 new entrants in 2017, and the number doubling to some 180,000 in September 2018, the President noted that “every child of school going age in Ghana will have the opportunity to go to school up to the Senior High School level, and I intend to keep that pledge.”

On the Double-Track System, he assured the Chiefs and people of Mpasaaso, that “I will never present anything that is not worth it to the Ghanaian people. The double track system will ensure longer contact hours, teachers will have longer periods of interaction with the students, and the numbers of enrolled students will increase.”