Ghana must resist the temptation to rush education reforms for political timelines and instead adopt a data-driven, policy-focused approach to eliminating the double-track system, education researcher Dr Barnabas Addai Amanfo has warned.

Reacting to the government’s $300 million STAR-J initiative aimed at upgrading senior high schools, Amanfo said the announcement alone is insufficient without concrete implementation plans.

“For me, it remains an announcement,” he said on Asaase Breakfast Show on Friday (15 May). “I am not interested in announcements. I am interested in the hard-core effects—what has been done.”

The government aims to phase out the double-track system by 2027, but Amanfo questioned the feasibility of that timeline, citing Ghana’s track record with procurement delays and project execution.

“We have about one to one-and-a-half years. Looking at our history… it is too early for me,” he said.

He stressed that reforms must be guided by detailed needs assessments, including data on infrastructure deficits, enrolment pressures, and regional disparities.

“We must approach this as educational policy, not a political promise,” he said.

Amanfo identified infrastructure shortages as the most pressing challenge facing Ghana’s secondary education system, arguing that overcrowded classrooms, inadequate dormitories, and poor facilities continue to undermine learning.

He also criticised the lack of standardisation in school classification, questioning the criteria used to rank schools into Categories A, B, and C.

“What is the standard?” he asked. “Some Category C schools are far better than certain Category A schools.”

On teacher readiness, Amanfo said Ghanaian educators are not sufficiently equipped for modern, technology-driven instruction due to limited resources and training.

“Teachers are doing their best, but it is not the best we want,” he said, citing cases where basic teaching tools are lacking.

While he welcomed plans to train teachers in digital skills and artificial intelligence, he warned against superficial implementation.

“It should not be that we set aside two days for training and that is all. We must see real impact,” he said.

Amanfo concluded that the true measure of the STAR-J programme should not be whether double track is eliminated on paper, but whether tangible improvements in infrastructure, teaching quality, and learning outcomes are achieved.

“What will change?” he asked. “That is what we must focus on.”