Johnson Asiedu Nketia, popularly known as General Mosquito, the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said that if they are elected back to into office, they will scrap the double track system.
He said the new policy introduced by the government as part of the ‘Free SHS’ is a shambolic one.
“When we come to power in 2020, the first thing we will do is, we will abolish the double-tracking system. Bad planning is what has created the impression of overcrowding in schools,” he said in an interview with NEAT FM.
This year, the government introduced he double-tracking system to accommodate the increasing number of students in public schools under the Free SHS policy.
Due to the increase in enrollment in 2017, the Education Ministry, led by Member of Parliament (MP) for Manyhia South, Dr. Mathew Opoku-Prempeh, popularly called NAPO, has projected that enrollment for 2018 may hover around 472,730 against reported available seats of 290,737, leaving a gap of 181, 993.
Currently, about 362,118 first-year students in public SHSs in the country are benefiting from the policy, with 117,692 of them being day students and 244,426 as boarders.
On one of his campaigns to be elected as the flagbearer of the NDC, former President John Mahama slammed he move, saying that “Introducing shift system for SHS doesn’t help to continue to implement this all-important free SHS program on an ad-hoc basis.”
The Ministry has pointed out that the double-tracking system shall offer students more instructional and contact hours with teachers as well as make better use of the available classroom space.
