President John Dramani Mahama has announced that government has secured a 300 million dollar facility from the World Bank to upgrade senior high schools across the country under a new education improvement initiative.
According to the President, the project forms part of efforts to improve access to quality secondary education, strengthen infrastructure and eventually end the double-track system in Ghana’s senior high schools.
President Mahama disclosed this during the commissioning of a new PET scan facility at the Sweden Ghana Medical Centre in Accra.
“In this regard, government has secured a 300 million dollar facility from the World Bank to upgrade 50 senior high schools nationwide under the Transformative Secondary Education for Access, Results and Relevance for Jobs initiative,” he stated.
He explained that the programme, known as STAR-J, will focus on upgrading Category C schools to Category B status, while selected Category B schools will also be upgraded to Category A.
“Thirty Category C senior high schools will be upgraded to Category B, while 20 Category B schools will be upgraded to Category A,” the President said.
President Mahama noted that the initiative is not only about expanding infrastructure but also ensuring equity and improving educational quality across the country.
“This strategic investment is not simply about expanding infrastructure. It is fundamentally about promoting equity, improving quality and widening opportunities for every Ghanaian child,” he stressed.
The President further revealed that government will construct new community day senior high schools in urban and peri-urban areas to ease pressure on boarding facilities.
“New e-blocks are going to be built in urban communities where it is easy for children to commute to school and back,” he explained.
According to him, the move will help reduce overcrowding in boarding schools and improve access to secondary education for many families.
President Mahama also announced that the STAR-J project will support the government’s target of ending the double-track system by 2027.
“By 2027, there should be no secondary school implementing a double-track system in Ghana,” he declared.
He added that the initiative will include continuous professional development programmes for teachers to strengthen classroom delivery and equip educators with modern teaching skills.
“These programmes will equip teachers with 21st century competencies including digital literacy, critical thinking, innovative pedagogical approaches, artificial intelligence integration and learner-centred teaching,” he noted.
President Mahama emphasised that the reforms are aimed at building a more inclusive, resilient and future-ready education system capable of preparing students for national development and the demands of the modern economy.
SOURCE: Mubarak Yakubu
