President John Dramani Mahama says the government’s decision to phase out the double-track system in Senior High Schools will improve students’ academic performance by increasing contact hours between teachers and students.

Speaking during his first-day tour of the Upper East Region on Thursday, August 13, President Mahama said reduced interaction between teachers and students under the double-track system had affected the quality of teaching and learning.

He particularly linked the reduced contact hours to challenges in preparing students for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

“We realised that one of the things affecting Free Senior High School was the reduced contact hours between the students and the teachers,” he said.

“So, we believe that if we end the double-track, it will increase the student-teacher contact hours and we believe that will improve their performance in the WAEC exams.”

The double-track system was introduced as part of efforts to accommodate increased enrolment following the implementation of the Free Senior High School programme.

Under the system, students are divided into tracks that alternate between periods of classroom instruction and vacation to ease pressure on school infrastructure.

The government has set the end of 2027 as its target for completing the phase-out of the system.

President Mahama said the timeline would, however, depend on the expansion of infrastructure needed to accommodate all students under a single-track system.

The government’s approach is therefore to expand school infrastructure alongside the phase-out to ensure that all students can be accommodated without compromising access to secondary education.

President Mahama said restoring longer periods of interaction between teachers and students would create better conditions for learning and ultimately improve students’ performance in WASSCE.