Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice-President, has justified the introduction of the double-track system in about 400 Senior High Schools in the Country and says it is better to educate a child even under a tree than to have them sitting at home.
He said the introduction of the double-track system as a temporary solution to the increase of enrollment due to the introduction of Free SHS as a problem but the government is on course to construct new school infrastructure.
Alhaji Dr. Bawumia, who was addressing a town hall meeting and results fair in Kumasi, said “The thinking here is akin to how churches have first, second and even third services to deal with large numbers.
Some people say that we should have finished building the schools before introducing free SHS but I would say that it is better to educate a child even under a tree then to have them sitting at home. With that same logic we would have had to finish building all the hospitals we need before introducing the NHIS.”
According to him, without the double-track system, hundreds of thousands of students would not be able to access free SHS.
He said those who are criticizing the double track the system has not been able to offer an alternative, adding, Abolishing the double-track system means abolishing free SHS.
The vice president said the government is investing in the construction of new infrastructure at senior high schools across the country and some schools are no longer on the double
track. The double-track system will, therefore, be over in just a few years for all schools when the infrastructure is completed. Interestingly the Government of Kenya, facing similar challenges, has asked our Ministry of education to assist them to introduce the double-track system in Kenya.
Dr. Bawumia said “We need a government that is committed to the free SHS system. A government that is prepared to commit the resources to finance it. Can we entrust the Free SHS policy to someone who did not believe? init in the first place? To someone who said it was a gimmick? To someone who said if he had GHC2 billion he would not spend it on Free SHS? To someone who says he would abolish double track but has no alternative to offer”.
Source: mybrytfmonline/Kofi Atakora
