GES to Phase Out Double-Track System by 2027

Ghana’s Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, has announced that the government intends to scrap the double-track system in Senior High Schools (SHS) by 2027 as part of ongoing reforms to improve academic consistency and relieve infrastructural pressures. The move was confirmed during his address to leaders of assisted secondary schools in Sunyani and supported by education authorities, including the Ghana Education Service (GES).

The double-track system, introduced in the 2018/19 academic year under the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy, divides students into two groups, Green and Gold, who alternate attendance. This arrangement was adopted to manage a sharp rise in enrolment while school infrastructure was still catching up. Critics have long cited challenges related to overcrowded classrooms, inconsistent calendar schedules, and strains on teaching resources.

GES has already taken concrete steps toward the planned reversal. A committee of 11 members was inaugurated earlier in 2025 to design a roadmap that includes reviewing the 2024/25 academic calendar, realigning testing like WASSCE to regional standards, improving infrastructure (including completing E-blocks), and strengthening administrative support via institutions like GETFund.

One interim outcome is that 99 SHSs currently operating under the double-track system are slated to revert to a single-track calendar starting in October 2025 for the 2025/26 academic year. This is seen as a pilot or early tranche of the larger phase-out. Schools moving to single-track will follow a more stable academic calendar, which is expected to improve the planning of academic activities, allow consistent contact hours, and reduce the burden on students and teachers.

GES Director-General, Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, has cautioned that while the goal is to eliminate double track by 2027, reversal cannot happen immediately in every school due to infrastructural constraints. Some schools still lack the necessary physical capacity, classrooms, dormitories, sanitary and dining facilities, to handle all students full-time. He emphasized that investments and time will be required to support the transition.

The government’s justification for moving away from double-track includes concerns about quality of education. Teachers and school administrators have repeatedly warned that students in double-track schools suffer shorter teaching periods, disrupted timetables, and less consistent learning experience. By returning to single-track, authorities expect improved learning outcomes, fewer disruptions in academic schedules, and greater stability for students and staff alike.

For many parents, students, and stakeholders, the announcement is welcome. They argue the double‐track system, while useful as a stopgap measure, has become a long-term burden. Some urban schools have especially felt the strain, with infrastructure stretched and quality compromised. Rural and less-resourced schools may struggle more with the change, so the government’s roadmap emphasizes targeted infrastructure upgrades, including the accelerated completion of stalled building projects.

There are risks, however. Transitioning too quickly could leave some schools unable to cope, increasing student overcrowding or creating inequity between regions. Funding must keep pace with infrastructural demands. Training of additional teachers, expansion of boarding facilities, and logistical support must align with the timeline. Any delays in building facilities or releasing funds may push the 2027 target back.

As of now, the phase-out plan remains binding and backed by both policy and statements from top education officials. But moving from intention to implementation will require strong political will, steady funding, coordination among regional and district education offices, and transparent reporting. Stakeholders are closely watching the transition, hopeful that 2027 will mark the end of the double-track system and a return to more consistent academic timetables in Ghana’s SHS landscape.

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