President John Mahama says the government is constructing 16 new senior high schools to reduce congestion in existing schools and help bring an end to the double-track system by 2027.

The President made the announcement on September 11 during an inspection of ongoing Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) projects at Han Senior High School (HAN SHS).

He said the initiative was being supported by a newly approved $300 million World Bank facility, which would help expand infrastructure in schools that continue to operate under the double-track arrangement.

“We just approved another World Bank facility of 300 million. That is to end the double-track system,” President Mahama said.

He explained that existing schools operating on the system would have their facilities expanded to accommodate students at the same time.

“For the schools that are still running double-track, we’re going to expand the facility so that all the children can go to school at the same time,” he said.

In addition to the expansion of existing institutions, the programme will provide 16 new secondary schools to address capacity constraints.

“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.

President Mahama said the government was aiming to complete the necessary infrastructure works by the end of 2027, with the goal of ensuring that no Ghanaian child remains on the double-track system.

“And so these projects will go on, and we hope that by the end of 2027, no Ghanaian child should be on a double-track system,” he said.

Under the proposed arrangement, students would attend classes together and follow the same academic calendar.

“Everybody goes to school at the same time, studies, and closes at the same time,” the president added.

Beyond addressing overcrowding, President Mahama said ending the system would provide teachers with more regular contact time with students.

“We believe that that will increase the contact hours between the teachers and the students, and it will help to improve their performance when eventually they write their WASSCE exam,” he said.

He expressed optimism that the infrastructure investment would therefore contribute not only to improved access and school conditions but also to better academic outcomes.