President John Mahama has announced that the government has secured a 300-million-dollar facility from the World Bank to upgrade 50 senior high schools across the country as part of efforts to improve access and quality in secondary education.

Speaking at the commissioning of a PET Scan at the Swedish Ghana Medical Centre, President Mahama said the initiative, known as the Transformative Secondary Education for Access, Results and Relevance for Jobs project (STARR-J), would play a major role in ending the Double Track system by 2027.

“The STARR-J project is going to assist the Ghana government achieve its target of bringing an end to double track in our secondary school system by next year. By 2027, there should be no secondary school implementing a double track system in Ghana,” he stated.

According to the President, the project will see 30 Category C senior high schools upgraded to Category B, while 20 Category B schools will be elevated to Category A.

“This strategic investment is not simply about expanding infrastructure. It is fundamentally about promoting equity, improving quality, and widening opportunities for every Ghanaian child,” he said.

President Mahama disclosed that new E-block community day schools would also be constructed in urban and peri-urban communities to ease pressure on boarding facilities and improve access to secondary education.

“So what this means is that if we get some of the children to go to school within their communities, it will ease the pressure on the boarding schools that are elsewhere,” he explained.

He added that the schools would be strategically located in communities where students can commute easily between home and school.

Beyond infrastructure, the President said the STARR-J initiative would focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning, particularly in technical and vocational education.

“As part of this initiative, all teachers in our secondary schools will benefit from continuous professional development programmes designed to sharpen their skills and improve classroom effectiveness,” he noted.

He said the training programmes would equip teachers with “21st century competencies, including digital literacy, critical thinking, innovative pedagogical approaches, artificial intelligence integration, and learner-centred teaching.”

President Mahama further praised teachers for their contribution to national development, describing education as the “bedrock of national development.”

“Behind every successful doctor, every successful engineer, entrepreneur, public servant, scientist, and let me add, behind every president, there stands a teacher who inspired, nurtured and guided them on that journey,” he stated.

The President also talked about recent reforms to career progression within the teaching service, saying government had introduced measures to allow teachers to rise through the ranks based on merit, competence, experience and performance rather than the availability of administrative positions.

“This reform ensures that excellence in the classroom is recognized and rewarded, whilst strengthening professionalism, morale, and dignity across the teaching service,” he added.

The newly commissioned PET Scan machine at the Swedish Ghana Medical Centre is expected to significantly improve advanced diagnostic healthcare services in Ghana.

A PET Scan, short for Positron Emission Tomography scan, is an advanced imaging technology used to detect and monitor diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and brain disorders by showing how tissues and organs are functioning inside the body.

The technology helps doctors identify diseases at early stages, improve treatment planning, and monitor patients’ responses to treatment.