Free SHS: Akuapem North Assembly to end Double-Track System

The Akuapem North Municipal Chief Executive, Dennis Aboagye, has assured that the Municipality is poised to be the first to end Double track system.

The assurance by the MCE follows handing over of a 16 unit storey classroom block by a Contractor for academic use in Okuapeman Senior High School.

The Project is one of the four ongoing projects in the School aimed at solving the current infrastructural challenges bedevilling the prestigious School following the implementation of the Free Senior High School Policy which has led to an exponential increase in students population.

“The contractor who executed this beautiful 16-Unit OKUAPEMMAN SCHOOL Classroom Block handed over to the government for use by the students. With three more projects near completion in OKUAPEMMAN school, we are poised to be the first to end Double-track”.

Dennis Aboagye explained that the completed project is just one of seventeen(17) other Infrastructural projects ongoing in the eight (8)Senior High Schools in the Akuapem North Municipality which the Assembly is ensuring its completion in the earnest to help eliminate Double Track System in the Municipality.

The MCE commended “President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Ministry of Education for this major timely intervention. And say a big thank you to our MP Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei for her instrumental role”.

The introduction of the Double Track System has been criticized by the Opposition Party and section of Civil Society Organizations accusing Government of rushing the implementation of the Free Senior High School Policy for populist purpose instead of first expanding infrastructure.

However, the Vice President Dr.Mahamadu Bawumia, on January 4, 2020, again debunked this claim at a durbar of Chiefs and People of Akuapem- Abiriw.

The Vice President likened the Double Track System to first and Second Church Service sort of arrangement introduced to allow Church members as many as possible to have equal access to listen to the Word of God.

According to him, the Double Track System under the Free Senior High School Policy, is a stopgap innovation to provide access to 69% of students who would have ordinarily been denied access to education

“In the first three years of this policy, we have seen enrollment in Ghana for Free SHS Education increased by 69%, that is a very high level of increase, and many of these children, if it had not been for Free SHS Education, would have been sited at home and we would have had to contend with the problem later on, in life of these children.

“So, Let’s bring an innovation, let’s everybody goes, and that is the Double track. It’s like when you have a church and the Church Membership grows so high, now all of them cannot go into the Church for one service so you say Okay! I will do the first service some of you will come, the second Service some of you will, and that is the Double-track system that we are operating right now”

The Vice President, however, hastened to add that, the government is expanding infrastructure in all Senior High Schools in the country and will soon end the Double-track system.

Dr.Bawumia maintained, the Free SHS policy is so critical to the future of this country because the key to the development of any nation is the education of its people.
“If you have an educated population, the evidence shows from economic history that Countries that have educated their people have risen up to the development lather and this is why Nana Akufo Addo was very key on the introduction of the Free SHS education”

Adding, “So even though we haven’t dealt with all the challenges, we are dealing with them, we had to introduce the Double Track system as a way of dealing with this temporary increase in student”.

Source: Ghana/Kasapafmonnline.com/Kojo Ansah/Ghana