Can Ghana End Double-Track by 2027 and Protect Free SHS Access?

When a student is placed in a senior high school, the family should be able to answer three simple questions. When will classes begin? How much time will the student spend in school? Will the school have the space and teachers to deliver the timetable? Those questions offer a practical test of Ghana’s pledge to end double-track by the end of 2027. Presidency’s statement on the 2027 target

Protect what Free SHS achieved
The Akufo-Addo administration deserves credit for launching Free Senior High School in September 2017 and widening access to secondary education. The World Bank reported that upper secondary enrolment rose by 28 per cent between 2017 and 2023. As enrolment outpaced available facilities and staffing, the government introduced double-track in 2018. By having two groups attend at different times, schools could admit more students with the facilities they had. Free SHS launch · World Bank enrolment figures · Ghana’s 2019 Budget Speech

The administration also invested in school infrastructure. In November 2024, President Akufo-Addo led the commissioning of about 80 education projects nationwide. The projects covered several levels of education and included classroom blocks, dormitories, libraries and laboratories. Ghana News Agency’s report on the commissioning

Examination results also improved over the period. Comparing the reported West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results for 2016, the year before Free SHS began, with WAEC’s provisional results for 2024, the share of candidates earning grades A1–C6 rose in all four core subjects. Core Mathematics went from about 33 to 67 percent, English Language from 53 to 70 percent, Integrated Science from 48 to 59 percent, and Social Studies from 55 to 72 percent. Determining how much of the improvement can be attributed to Free SHS would require a separate analysis. 2016 WAEC figures reported by Graphic Online · WAEC’s provisional 2024 results

The World Bank has identified long breaks in attendance under double-track as a disruption to learning. The Mahama administration can build on expanded access by giving students a more continuous school calendar while protecting the places Free SHS opened up. World Bank assessment of double-track

Give families one clear timeline
The government has given families different dates. President John Dramani Mahama pointed to 2027 in May 2026. At a July briefing, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu cited 2029. The Ministry of Education subsequently described the minister’s remark as a slip of the tongue and reaffirmed 2027. The Presidency later reiterated the end of 2027 as the target. President’s May statement · Minister’s July briefing · Ministry clarification reported by ModernGhana · Presidency’s reaffirmation

Families still need to know what that date means for their own schools. A parent planning for the next placement cycle needs to know whether a school can admit its expected intake, when students will report in 2027, and what alternatives will be available if construction runs behind schedule.

Show which schools are ready
In June 2026, the World Bank approved US$300 million for the Secondary Education Transformation for Access, Relevance, and Results for Jobs (STARR-J) project. It supports construction and rehabilitation alongside improvements in instruction, skills development, and teacher deployment. Ghana’s 2026 Budget Speech allocates GH₵1.1 billion to end double-track and improve secondary education. The next question is how many students schools can accommodate when they move to a single calendar in 2027. World Bank financing announcement · Ghana’s 2026 Budget Speech

The Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service should publish a school-by-school transition plan before the next placement cycle. For each remaining double-track school, it should show the planned switch date, the number of students the school can accommodate on one calendar, the facilities still needed, and any staffing gaps by subject. Where boarding and dining capacity affect admissions, the plan should show those limits too. Regular updates should tell families which projects are complete and what placement arrangements are in place if a school cannot switch on schedule.

Ending double-track must never become a reason to tighten grading in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) so that fewer students qualify for senior high school. WAEC grades candidates based on their assessment performance, and the Computerised School Selection and Placement System handles placement. If a school cannot accommodate its expected intake on a single calendar, the Ghana Education Service should arrange additional places or give families workable alternatives before placement begins in 2027. A shortage of school places should never cost a qualified student access to Free SHS. WAEC’s explanation of BECE grading and SHS placement

As a mathematics teacher, I would also look at what the new calendar makes possible in the classroom. A student who struggles with algebra needs regular opportunities to practise, receive feedback and correct misunderstandings before moving on to harder work. Schools should track how many days of instruction students receive and whether subject teachers are available to teach those lessons.

Ghana should keep the end of 2027 as a public benchmark and show its progress school by school. The transition will have served its purpose when students can attend on a common calendar, families can still count on access to Free SHS, and teachers have the time and resources to teach the students in front of them.

Shadrack Agyapong
Mathematics & STEM Educator | Education Researcher | PhD Student
U.S.-Based Ghanaian Educator

Sources for Editorial Verification

Free SHS, enrolment and infrastructure

1. Free SHS launch. Ghana’s Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection confirms that Free SHS began in September 2017. Ministry statement
2. Enrolment growth. The World Bank reports a 28 per cent increase in upper secondary enrolment between 2017 and 2023. World Bank report
3. Double-track in 2018. Ghana’s 2019 Budget Speech describes how double-track helped schools accommodate additional students. 2019 Budget Speech
4. Infrastructure. Ghana News Agency reports the November 2024 commissioning of about 80 projects across several levels of education, including classroom blocks, dormitories, libraries and laboratories. Ghana News Agency report

WASSCE results

5. 2016 baseline before Free SHS. Graphic Online reports WAEC’s A1–C6 figures for the four core subjects. 2016 WAEC figures
6. 2024 comparison. Table 1 in WAEC’s provisional results gives the A1–C6 percentages for school candidates in the same four subjects. WAEC’s provisional 2024 results

Double-track deadline

7. President Mahama’s May 2026 statement. Ghana News Agency reports that the president identified 2027 as the target. Ghana News Agency, 14 May 2026
8. Education Minister’s July 2026 briefing. Graphic Online reports that Haruna Iddrisu cited 2029 at the Government Accountability Series briefing. Graphic Online, 20 July 2026
9. Ministry clarification. ModernGhana reports that the Ministry of Education described the 2029 reference as a slip of the tongue and reaffirmed 2027. ModernGhana report
10. Presidency’s reaffirmation. The Presidency identifies the end of 2027 as the target for phasing out double-track. Presidency statement

Financing, learning and placement

11. World Bank financing and disruption to learning. The World Bank confirms approval of US$300 million for STARR-J, describes its scope and identifies long breaks in attendance under double-track as a source of disruption to learning. World Bank, 16 June 2026
12. Domestic budget allocation. Ghana’s 2026 Budget Speech identifies GH₵1.1 billion for ending double-track and improving secondary education. 2026 Budget Speech
13. BECE grading and SHS placement. WAEC explains how it grades BECE candidates and identifies the Computerised School Selection and Placement System as the mechanism for SHS placement. WAEC’s BECE guidance