IMANI describes double tracking system as needless

Policy think tank,

The government has said that it will introduce the double tracking system to accommodate the increasing student population following the introduction of free SHS last year.

However, the President of IMANI Africa Franklin Cudjoe told Accra-based Starr FM that “It doesn’t make sense.”

“Why don’t you if you really insist on doing this…use a voucher system so that you give vouchers to parents up to a certain amount to choose which schools they [parents] want [their kids] to go to. Education is not like vaccination you give, you have to prepare the environment. So what? People go in and then some people sit at home and then what happens? Is it a shift system? At IMANI we are just fed up.”

But the Deputy Education Minister Dr Adutwum disagreed with IMANI’s position. He explained that the new system will help contain the surge in enrollment due to free SHS.

“It is a time-tested practice used around the world whenever there’s a surge in enrolment. That’s a stop-gap measure used around the world it is time-tested.”

A total of 362,118 first-year students from public Senior High Schools across the country are currently benefiting from the government’s fee-free education policy since its inception. Of the above figure, 117,692 are day students with 244,426 being boarders.

Based on last year’s enrollment, the government has projected enrollment figures for 2018 to stand at 472,730 against available seats of 290, 737 leaving a gap of 181, 993 to be created in order to accommodate the expected number of enrollment.

The double tracking system, according to the Ministry of Education will offer students more instructional and contact hours with teachers.

Double Track System

Double Track System will be like the semester mode of learning in the universities at the SHS level. This system will allow each track to 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. This system allows the schools to admit more students and prevent overcrowding. It is very popular in Australia, Costa Rica, Japan, some schools in the US and Kenya.