President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said the double-track system which was introduced to enable more students benefit from the implementation of the Free Senior High School (SHS) suffered unfounded criticisms and vilification.
In his views, the result of this year’s West African Senior Secondary School Examinations (WASSCE) indicate that the criticisms were unsubstantiated.
The double-track system was introduced by the government of Ghana on the 11th September, 2018.
It started with green track students enrolled for the 2018/2019 academic year to absorb more students into the Senior High School SHS.
The policy attracted criticisms from some Ghanaians including members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) who believed that the government was destroying the educational system.
For instance, Former President John Mahama said the system made no sense and further called for its review.
“I believe that if Ghanaians come together we can come out with a workable timetable and schedule for implementing free SHS, because the double track system is not understandable. We just finished vacation, children have been at home for almost three months, it’s time to go to school and you say they should stay back at home for another forty-one days and let their friends go so they can also go after that time.
“It doesn’t make sense and that is because our friends don’t listen to advice,” Mr Mahama said at Cape Coast where he was campaigning for the slot to lead the NDC in the 2020 election.
“I believe that if Ghanaians come together we can come out with a workable timetable and schedule for implementing free SHS, because the double track system is not understandable. We have talked about this national stakeholders conference for so long but they have refused to hold it”.
But in a short statement released by the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Mr Eugene Arhin on Saturday December 11, 2021 reacting to the results of this year’s WASSCE, Mr Akufo-Addo said “The 2021 WASSCE results of the second batch of the Akufo-Addo graduates” show 54.08% of students recoding AI-C5 in English, as opposed to 51.6% in 2016, 65.7% recording AI-C6 in Integrated Science in 2021, as opposed to 48.35 in 2016, 54.11% recoding AI-C6 IN Mathematics, as compared to 33.12% in 2016 and 66.03% recording AI-C6 in Social Studies, as compared to 54.55% in 2016. Lest we forget, the 2021 batch of students were the pioneer of the double track system , which elicited a lot of vilification and unfounded criticism on its introduction.”
WAEC on Wednesday, December 8, 2021, in a statement said “a total of 1,339 subject results and 174 entire results of some students who sat for the 2021 WASSCE for School Candidates in Ghana have been cancelled”.
“It added that “the entire results of 3,667 candidates have also been withheld pending the conclusion of investigations into various cases of examination malpractice detected during and after the conduct of the examination.
Additionally, the scripts of candidates from 194 schools in certain subjects have been withheld and are being scrutinized”.
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana