Nearly two-thirds in IEA poll say double-track has reduced SHS quality

Nearly two-thirds of respondents in a nationwide poll believe Ghana’s double-track system has reduced the quality of senior high school education.

The Institute of Economic Affairs survey found that 64.7% of the 1,062 respondents held that view, eight years after the system was introduced to manage increased enrolment under the Free Senior High School programme.

The poll, conducted across Ghana’s 16 regions in August 2026, identified pressure on existing school infrastructure and the student-teacher ratio as key concerns associated with the system.

However, the result measures public opinion and does not establish that double-track has caused a decline in educational quality. No data on examination performance, instructional time or other measures of education quality were included in the supplied material.

One in five sees improvement

While most respondents viewed the system negatively, 20.2% said it had improved the quality of SHS education.

Another 14.7% said it had made no difference, while 0.2% expressed no opinion.

The supplied information does not provide the survey’s sampling method, margin of error, demographic breakdown or the exact wording of the questions. Those details would be needed to assess how representative the findings are of Ghana’s wider population.

The double-track system was introduced in 2018 after increased enrolment under Free SHS placed pressure on available classrooms, dormitories and other facilities.

It divides students into two groups that alternate periods of attendance, allowing schools to accommodate more pupils with the same infrastructure.

Although introduced as a temporary response to congestion, the system remains in use in some schools, prompting continuing debate about its effect on teaching, learning and the school calendar.

Majority supports borrowing for new schools

The IEA poll also found that 54.3% of respondents supported government borrowing to construct additional schools as a long-term measure to phase out double-track.

Some 38.4% opposed borrowing for that purpose, while 6.2% expressed no opinion.

Support was higher among respondents who believed double-track had reduced education quality. Within that group, 60.8% backed borrowing to expand school infrastructure, while 38.4% opposed it and 0.8% had no opinion.

The findings suggest that many of those concerned about SHS quality see additional classrooms and schools as part of the solution, despite concerns about Ghana’s public debt.

But a sizeable minority remains opposed to taking on more debt, highlighting the challenge facing the government as it seeks to expand educational infrastructure without placing further pressure on public finances.

“The poll, therefore, presents two concerns: the need to expand SHS infrastructure to improve education quality and the need to ensure that financing such expansion does not place further pressure on public finances,” the IEA said.

The think tank said opposition to additional borrowing reflected concerns about the country’s finances and indicated that some respondents preferred alternative funding arrangements.