ELS: MBN360 EDUCATION
The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has announced plans for a major procurement of furniture for selected Senior High Schools (SHSs) to help phase out the double-track system in schools with adequate classroom infrastructure.
According to the Minister, some schools have enough classrooms and other physical facilities to operate a single-track system but continue to run double-track because they lack sufficient desks and other furniture to accommodate all students at the same time.
He said providing the needed furniture to such schools could immediately increase their capacity and allow them to transition to a single-track arrangement.
“There are many schools that if we provided them with furniture, we can take them off double track and we will do that. We will undertake a major procurement of furniture to fix that,” Mr Iddrisu said.
The Education Minister disclosed this during a surprise monitoring visit to selected schools in the Western Region, including Tarkwa Senior High School.
The visit formed part of the Ministry’s efforts to assess conditions in schools and identify challenges affecting teaching and learning as government works to improve access to quality secondary education.
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At Tarkwa Senior High School, Mr Iddrisu identified inadequate furniture as one of the factors preventing some schools from fully transitioning away from the double-track system.
He explained that the government had identified schools where classroom space is available but shortages of desks and other furniture are limiting their ability to admit and accommodate students under a single-track system.
The planned procurement will be undertaken by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance.
The intervention is expected to target schools where the availability of classroom infrastructure, rather than physical space, is the major constraint to ending double-track.
Government’s approach, according to the Minister, is to address these specific infrastructure and furniture gaps so that schools with available classroom space can accommodate students simultaneously.
The announcement comes as the government continues efforts to reduce reliance on the double-track system and improve conditions for students and teachers in Senior High Schools across the country.
