World Bank approves $300m for Ghana’s plan to end double-track schools by 2027

The World Bank has approved a $300 million financing package to support Ghana’s efforts to eliminate the double-track system in senior high schools, marking one of the largest recent investments in the country’s education sector.

The funding, announced by the Ministry of Education, will be channelled through the Transformative Secondary Education for Access, Results, and Relevance for Jobs (STARR-J) project, which aims to expand school infrastructure, improve learning outcomes and equip students with skills needed in the labour market.

The investment is expected to play a central role in the government’s target of phasing out the double-track system nationwide by 2027, a reform widely viewed as critical to improving the quality and efficiency of secondary education.

Introduced under the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy, the double-track system was designed to accommodate a sharp increase in student enrolment by allowing schools to operate in alternating academic cycles.

While the arrangement expanded access to education, it also placed significant pressure on infrastructure and teaching resources.

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu described the World Bank approval as a major boost to Ghana’s long-term development agenda.

“This project is a major investment in Ghana’s growing youthful population and a strategic contribution to the country’s long-term human capital development and global competitiveness,” he said.

According to the Ministry, the programme will focus on expanding learning opportunities, improving school conditions and ensuring that secondary education is more closely aligned with the skills demanded by employers.

“It will help expand learning opportunities, improve school conditions, better align secondary education with the skills demanded by the labour market and, more importantly, respond to the infrastructure deficit associated with expanded access to Free Secondary Education,” Mr Iddrisu added.

Beyond its educational impact, the funding is expected to support Ghana’s broader economic ambitions by strengthening human capital development and preparing a larger pool of skilled workers for the future labour market.

The Ministry said the project reflects the government’s commitment to ensuring equitable access to quality education while enhancing the competitiveness of Ghana’s workforce in an increasingly global economy.

If implemented successfully, the STARR-J programme could pave the way

for the complete phase-out of the double-track system by 2027, addressing one of the most persistent challenges associated with the expansion of Free SHS and reshaping the future of secondary education in Ghana.