Member of Parliament Builsa South constituency Dr. Clement Apaak has dismissed assertions that a future National Democratic Congress government will destroy the Free Senior High School policy with its promise to end the double track system within one year after assuming office.
Deputy Education Minister Dr. Yaw Adutwum has noted that it is impossible to end the double track system within a year as promised by flagbearer of the opposition NDC John Dramani Mahama, adding that such premature truncation of the system will completely collapse Senior High School Education in Ghana.
Dr. Adutwum argued that top rated schools in the country would be compelled under such circumstances to cut down their enrollment, a move he said “will send us into a tailspin. It will destroy Senior High School as we know it.”
But reacting to the assertion on Dreamz fm in Bolgatanga, Dr. Clement Apaak said the double track system can actually be abolished within a year without destroying the program.
“We have settled this matter already and we have said that the double track was introduced as a result of the hasty and poor implementation of the Free SHS. We will cancel it in a manner that will not affect the program. We have said that our plan is to complete all the abandoned projects across the country including the uncompleted E-Blocks that have been abandoned by this administration,” he said.
The ranking member on parliament’s education committee explained that a special purpose vehicle known as the Big Push will be used to make available funds to complete the projects.
While citing private Senior High Schools as partners to help end the double track system, he added that “it is possible to support schools that ordinarily are not doing well to come at par with the best schools we know.”
