Ghana secures $300 million World Bank support to end double-track system in SHSs by 2027

• The World Bank has approved a $300 million financing package for Ghana's STARR-J education project.

• The project aims to improve secondary education and support the transition away from the double-track system.

• Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu says the initiative will strengthen infrastructure, improve learning conditions, and better prepare students for the job market.

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The funding, approved by the World Bank Board, will support the implementation of the Transformative Secondary Education for Access, Results and Relevance for Jobs (STARR-J) Project, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Education on 16 June 2026.

The Ministry said the project is designed to strengthen Ghana's secondary education system by expanding access, improving quality and relevance, and addressing infrastructure challenges that emerged following the implementation of the Free SHS policy.

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A key component of the project is the government's plan to phase out the double-track system nationwide.

"Through targeted investments in educational infrastructure, improved learning conditions, and enhanced system efficiency, the Government expects that by 2027, no secondary school in Ghana will be operating under the double-track system," the statement said.

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Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, described the approval as a major boost for Ghana's education sector and long-term development agenda.

"This project is a major investment in Ghana's growing youthful population and a strategic contribution to the country's long-term human capital development and global competitiveness," he said.

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According to the Minister, the project will help create more learning opportunities, improve school facilities and ensure secondary education better responds to the needs of the labour market.

"It will help expand learning opportunities, improve school conditions, better align secondary education with the skills demanded by the labour market, and, more importantly, respond to the infrastructure deficit associated with expanded access to Free Secondary Education," Mr Iddrisu added.

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The Ministry expressed appreciation to the World Bank, particularly Country Director Robert Taliercio O'Brien and the Bank's education team, as well as the Ministry of Finance led by Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, for their support.

The Ministry said the STARR-J Project reaffirms the government's commitment to ensuring equitable access to quality secondary education while equipping students with the skills needed to compete in the global economy.

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