Ninety-nine (99) double-track Senior High Schools (SHS) will transition back to the single-track system as announced by the Ghana Education Service (GES). It is not clear what may have influenced the action by the Service.

However, according to a press release signed by the Head of Public Relations, Daniel Fenyi, on Monday, the government had made payment of GHC1 billion to the free secondary education programme and cleared all capitation grant arrears, costing GH¢72.8 million.

Additionally, GH¢2.9 billion had been paid to the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND), and GH¢122.8 million to the Basic Education Certificate Examination registration.

“The School feeding budget increased per child, with GH¢895 million paid to the School Feeding Programme for basic schools,” the release added.

Earlier this year, the Ghana Education Service launched a nationwide survey to gather public feedback on the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy and the Double Track System, aiming to evaluate their impact and uncover the challenges faced by students, parents, and teachers.

The initiative was announced on the Ghana Education Service’s official Facebook page on Saturday, February 22, 2025. The survey sought to assess public understanding of these educational policies, measure their effectiveness, and identify areas that require improvement.

In a call for participation, the Ghana Education Service encouraged students, parents, educators, and the general public to share their experiences and offer suggestions for potential reforms.

Introduced to eliminate financial barriers to secondary education, the Free SHS policy has broadened access to schooling across Ghana. However, it has also faced criticism over issues such as overcrowded classrooms, limited infrastructure, and concerns over the quality of teaching, particularly under the Double Track System, which was implemented to manage the surge in student enrollment.

The double-track system was introduced by the government to manage an increase in the Senior High School student population in relation to limited infrastructure. The introduction of the Free Senior High School policy by the government in 2017 led to an increase in student enrolment, causing a strain on infrastructure.

This consultation marked a significant step toward determining whether the Free SHS and Double Track System are fulfilling their intended goals or if policy adjustments are necessary. As education reform continues to dominate national conversations, the survey’s findings could play a pivotal role in reshaping Ghana’s educational future.

In 2022, the then Deputy Minister for Education. Ntim Fordjour, under the former Akufo-Addo government, reported the abolishment of the double-track system.

When asked during an interview with Okay FM if introducing a new academic calendar will mean the abolishment of the Double Track System, the Deputy Minister for Education answered in the affirmative. He clarified that there would no longer be red, yellow and green tracks, adding that "schools without enough facilities to absorb the current system will have only one batch to be on vacation".

But in a social media post clarifying the details of the new calendar, the Public Relations officer of the Education Ministry, Kwasi Kwarteng, has stated that the introduction of the new calendar has not brought an end to the double-track system.

"Double Track is not completely abolished. We have eliminated the double-entry of Form One and Form Two students. What it means is that all Form One and Form Two students will go to school each as one cohort, not divided into two," he wrote.

Kwasi Kwarteng added that the double-track system would be completely abolished once the government fulfils its commitment to building more schools to accommodate the entire student population across the country.

"As more school buildings are completed, entire school populations will report to school at the same time as one cohort as it pertains in Single Track schools," he added.