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The double-track system under the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme has been abolished in the Gambaga Girls’ SHS in the East Mamprusi Municipality of the North East Region following massive infrastructural development undertaken in the school.

The school benefited from the government’s Emergency School Projects which awarded contracts for the completion of abandoned infrastructural projects and construction of new ones in schools undertaking the double track.

With a student population of about 1,199, the premier girls’ SHS in the region has benefited from one six-unit classroom block, one 12-unit classroom block, a 300-bed dormitory block, and a six-seater toilet facility.

A visit to the school by the Daily Graphic last week saw some of the projects completed and handed over to the school, while contractors were seen busily working on others that were at various stages of completion.

Reversion to single track

The Headmistress of the school, Ms Aisha Asumah, who conducted this reporter around the projects disclosed that the school had reverted to the single-track system by the Ghana Education Service (GES) following the massive infrastructural projects it had benefited from.

“Currently we have a 12-unit classroom block under construction, we also have a six-unit classroom block that has been completed and handed over, there is a 300-bed dormitory under construction and a six-seater toilet facility. It is due to these projects that the school has been given the green light to revert to the single-track system,” she said.

She commended the government for the introduction of the Free SHS policy, saying without it, most of the girls in the area wouldn’t have had secondary education.

Challenges

In spite of the massive infrastructural development, Ms Asumah said the school was still facing some challenges, including inadequate furniture, water supply and lack of staff accommodation, stressing that: “Our major challenge now is furniture, but we got information from our director that furniture will be supplied soon, so we are waiting.”

She lamented that the lack of staff accommodation on campus was affecting the effective monitoring and supervision of the students; and, therefore, appealed to the government and benevolent organisations to come to the aid of the school.

Free SHS programme

The double-track system, under the Free SHS policy, is in two sessions; the green and gold tracks.

The system was introduced by the government to enable more Ghanaian students to gain access to SHS education across the country.

In its quest to abolish the system, the government embarked on an emergency infrastructural development to complete all abandoned infrastructural projects and construct new ones in schools undertaking the double track.

The Gambaga Girls’ SHS and Nalerigu SHS are the only schools in the East Mamprusi Municipality undertaking the double-track system, and both schools are set to be reverted to the single-track system this academic year as they are benefiting from massive infrastructural development.