The double-track system introduced in 2018 has been defended by education experts, who argue it did not negatively affect students. Speaking on the policy on Joy News Desk earlier today, Dr. Kwabena Bempah Tandoh explained that the system was a response to the sharp rise in student enrollment following the introduction of the Free Senior High School programme.
Rise in Enrolment After Free SHS
After President Nana Akufo-Addo implemented Free SHS in 2017, Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) registrations jumped significantly. Between 2017 and 2018, there was an 11.5 percent increase, compared to the usual 1.5 to 2 percent annual rise recorded over the previous decade.
This meant that more students qualified for senior high school and senior technical school, creating pressure on available infrastructure. At the time, Ghana had only 684 senior high and technical schools. Data showed that while 272,000 seniors were set to graduate in 2018, there would still be an excess of about 181,992 students who had to be absorbed.
Dr. Kwabena Bempah Tandoh stressed that the alternative of keeping students at home was not an option. He explained that an estimated 1.2 to 1.3 billion cedis was required to build new infrastructure, but there was neither time nor resources to complete such a project before the 2018/2019 academic year.
How the Double Track System Works
The double track system, he noted, was designed as an innovative solution to absorb the excess students. It allowed existing school infrastructure to be used more efficiently by running two cohorts interchangeably within a year.
He explained: “Double track is mainly using of existing infrastructure, using it effectively to allow more students to go to school.”
For example, in a school of 3,000 students, made up of 1,000 each in Forms 1, 2, and 3, the plan was to increase Form 1 intake to 1,500. Since all of them could not fit at once, the students were divided into two cohorts who attended school on a rotational basis.
To make this possible, the academic calendar was restructured into semesters, allowing for three academic terms in a year instead of two. This created room for two Form 1 groups while ensuring that Forms 2 and 3 continued their studies uninterrupted.
Contact Hours Increased, Not Reduced
Responding to criticisms, Dr. Kwabena Bempah Tandoh stated that the double-track system did not reduce teaching or learning time. On the contrary, students actually benefited from more contact hours.
“When we had the three-term system, contact time for students was 1,080 hours per academic year. The evidence available is that because of the adjustments we made to the length of time and contact time, contact time in double track in an academic year moved from 1,080 to 1,134. Which means in a three-year cycle, we added 162 hours to contact time,” he explained.
Dr. Kwabena Bempah Tandoh acknowledged that every human intervention has challenges, but maintained that the double-track system was a necessary innovation which prevented thousands of children from being denied education and proved that planning and innovation can bridge infrastructure gaps.
According to him, the system ensured that every child had access to senior high school, in line with the government’s commitment under Free SHS.
