Former President John Mahama has criticised the double track system being implemented by government to cater for the numbers under the Free SHS policy.
According to Mr Mahama, the system makes no sense and must be reviewed.
“I believe that if Ghanaians come together we can come out with a workable timetable and schedule for implementing free SHS, because the double track system is not understandable. We just finished vacation, children have been at home for almost three months, it’s time to go to school and you say they should stay back at home for another forty-one days and let their friends go so they can also go after that time. It doesn’t make sense and that is because our friends don’t listen to advice,” Mahama noted at Cape Coast where he is currently campaigning for the slot to lead the NDC in the 2020 election.
He said a future NDC government will review the system in order to improve the quality of education in the country.
“I believe that if Ghanaians come together we can come out with a workable timetable and schedule for implementing free SHS, because the double track system is not understandable. We have talked about this national stakeholders conference for so long but they have refused to hold it”.
The Akufo-Addo government has resorted to the double track system to absorb the ballooning numbers under its flagship Free SHS program.
The Double Track System is similar to the semester mode of learning applicable in the universities at the SHS level. With this system, each track will be in school for specific days for each semester and go on vacation and come back for the second semester.
While the first track is in school, the second track will be on vacation and vice versa. The objectives of the Double-track School Calendar are to create room to accommodate increase in enrolment, reduce class sizes, increase contact hours and to increase the number of holidays.