Mahama pledges to end Double-Track by 2027

For years, the double-track system has been one of the most debated policies in Ghana’s education sector, splitting students into rotating groups just to keep up with demand. President John Dramani Mahama now says those days are numbered.

Speaking during a visit to Sawla Primary School to assess the rollout of STEM education, Mahama put a hard date on something many have long called for, the complete abolition of the double-track system across all senior high schools in the country, with 2027 as his administration’s deadline.

“We are going to end the double-track system by the end of 2027. By then, no senior high school will be on double track,” he said.

But killing the double-track system without a plan to absorb the students it currently manages would simply trade one problem for another. Mahama’s answer to that lies not in building more senior high schools, as might be expected, but in aggressively scaling up technical and vocational education across the country, giving students an alternative route entirely.

“Instead of building more senior high schools, our intention is to build more technical and vocational schools so that young people who prefer that track can go straight into technical and vocational education and move into the world of work,” the President explained.

It is a notable philosophical shift, one that treats vocational training not as a lesser option, but as a deliberate, respectable pathway into employment. Students who lean towards hands-on, skills-based careers would, under this plan, have the option to exit the traditional academic track altogether and step directly into industry-focused institutions.

On the infrastructure side, Mahama said expansion works would be rolled out across existing senior high schools, covering dormitories, lecture halls, dining halls, and auditoriums, to create enough capacity for all students to be in school at the same time, restoring what he described as a more effective learning environment.

“We are reverting to the old system where everybody goes to school at the same time so we can increase contact hours with teachers,” he said.

Whether the 2027 target holds will depend heavily on the pace of that construction and how quickly the vocational expansion can be delivered. For now, the President has drawn the line.