The government is constructing 16 new Senior High Schools (SHS) to ease overcrowding in existing schools and support efforts to phase out the double-track system.
President John Dramani Mahama said the project is part of a broader program funded through a newly approved US$300 million World Bank Facility.
He said the new schools would create additional capacity in the Senior High School (SHS) system and ease the congestion on schools operating the double-track system as a result of infrastructure inadequacy.
“Under that project too, we’re building 16 brand new secondary schools so that we can ease the congestion in the existing schools”, President Mahama said.
He announced this during an inspection of the ongoing Ghana Education Trust (GETFund) projects at Han Senior High School.
President Mahama also disclosed that selected schools in rural communities will be converted into boarding schools, especially those serving large catchment areas, to reduce the burden on students who travel long distances to attend school.
He explained that the policy would change how the community day school model is being applied, noting that it is more appropriate for densely populated areas where students can easily commute between home and school.
President Mahama further stated that the intention now was to use the community day concept in the high-density population areas where the children can stay at home and go to school.
“And then for those that are in the rural areas with a big catchment area, we turn them into boarding schools so that the children can reside on campus”, he added.
The government says the measures are aimed at expanding access to quality secondary education, easing pressure on overcrowded schools and creating a more suitable school system for students in both urban and rural communities.
Senior High Schools to ease overcrowding in existing schools to phase out the double-track system.){kind=link}