Former President John Dramani Mahama has criticised the government’s newly announced double track system for Senior High Schools.

Mr Mahama on Wednesday posted on his Twitter accont that it is unwise to implement the Free SHS policy at all cost.

He added that in order to arrive at a suitable solution, the government should engage in a broad consultation for a consensus to be arrived at in relation to the Free SHS implementation.

“Introducing shift system for SHS? It doesn’t help to continue to implement this all important free SHS programme on an ad hoc basis. It’s not too late to hold a comprehensive national consultation to forge a consensus on a sustainable framework for its implementation. #Ghana,” the former President wrote.

Introducing shift system for SHS? It doesn”™t help to continue to implement this all important free SHS programme on an ad hoc basis. It”™s not too late to hold a comprehensive national consultation to forge a consensus on a sustainable framework for its implementation. #Ghana

— John Dramani Mahama (@JDMahama) 25 July 2018

The government recently announced that its plans to introduce a double track semester system into the SHS system.

Related: Double track SHS system will reduce congestion, improve quality- Akufo-Addo

In the new module divides the entire student body and staff into two different tracks. So while one track is in school, the other is on vacation.

Furthermore, every semester will be 80 days for the two tracks. For one semester, every track will be in school for 40 days then go for a break for 40 days.

This module has been developed to deal with the huge numbers accompanied with the free SHS policy.

The government argues that, there isn’t enough time to build enough facilities to accommodate the numbers so the double

Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu told Joy News Wednesday, that the Education Ministry was faced with the choice of either the double-track system or crowding all the students and they decided to go for the former because it will be more efficient.

Related: ‘We don’t want any half approach to education’ - Majority leader defends double-track system

Civil society groups like IMANI Africa have however, kicked against the policy. Its President, Franklin Cudjoe said rather than experimenting with the new double track policy, government could easily have made use of the many private schools in the country.

The Dean of Arts and Sciences at Ashesi University, Prof Stephen Adei is among the only people to have commended the policy thus far.

“It is very clever,” he said on the AM Show on Joy News TV Monday.