Double track system is temporary – Education Minister

Minister of Education, Matthew Opoku Prempeh says the double track system is only a temporary measure by government to cater for the infrastructural deficits in second cycle schools.

Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, speaking at a meet the press series earlier today [Tuesday], said government could not delay high school education in a bid to put up new facilities.

With the increase in enrolment in schools, an extra 181, 993 seats will be needed to fill the gap as well as supplementary infrastructure to meet growing demand.

But the minister noted that government does have enough time to put up new infrastructure before enrolling students.

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Additionally, it is yet to raise the 1 billion Ghana Cedis needed to finance infrastructural projects in the various high school campuses. This informed the adoption of the double track (bi-semester) system.

However, he explained that the double track system is not the same as the shift system as some have speculated.

Dr Opoku Prempeh also explained that the double tracking system will end when there is enough infrastructure to cater for the deficit.

Under the new school calendar, senior high school students will attend school at different times of the year.

How Will The Double Track Work?

Only 400 selected senior high schools out of the 696 accredited ones have been earmarked to participate in the new programme.

The schools have been grouped into two broad categories (A and B) to allow different sets of students to be in school at different times of the year.

The new calendar will reduce teaching days from 180 under the single track system to 162 under the new system.

However, it will increase contact hours from 6 hours to 8 hours per day leading to an increase from 1,080 hours per year under the current single-track system, to 1,134 hours per year under the new model.

Government has announced that over 8,000 teachers are being recruited to handle the sandwich classes, to enable teachers to have their mandatory holidays.

Headmasters and other non-teaching staff, however, will not be featured on any track.

The new system which will start in September 2018 is expected to cost the government some GH₵323 million.