The World Bank has approved a $300 million financing package to support Ghana’s efforts to phase out the double-track system in Senior High Schools by 2027, the Ministry of Education has announced.
The funding will be channelled through the Secondary Education for Access, Results and Relevance for Jobs (STARR-J) Project, a major initiative aimed at expanding access to secondary education, improving learning outcomes, and addressing infrastructure challenges associated with the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme.
According to the Ministry, the project will focus on expanding school infrastructure, enhancing learning conditions, and improving the efficiency of the secondary education system to facilitate a return to a stable academic calendar nationwide.
Describing the approval as a significant milestone, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu said the investment would strengthen Ghana’s human capital development agenda and better prepare young people for the job market.
“This project is a major investment in Ghana’s growing youthful population and a strategic contribution to the country’s long-term human capital development and global competitiveness,” he stated.
Mr Iddrisu noted that the initiative would not only create more learning opportunities and improve school facilities but also ensure that secondary education is aligned with the skills demanded by the modern labour market.
“It will help expand learning opportunities, improve school conditions, better align secondary education with the skills demanded by the labour market and, importantly, address the infrastructure deficit resulting from expanded access to Free Secondary Education,” he added.
The Ministry expressed appreciation to the World Bank team, led by Robert Taliercio O’Brien, as well as the Ministry of Finance under Cassiel Ato Forson, for their roles in securing the funding package.
The Ministry said the STARR-J project underscores the government’s commitment to ensuring equitable access to quality secondary education while equipping students with relevant skills for a competitive global economy.
If successfully implemented, the project is expected to pave the way for the complete elimination of the double-track system by 2027, bringing an end to a measure introduced to manage rising enrolment under the Free SHS policy.
