Minority Leader Cassiel Ato Forson has urged the Ministry of Education to devise a comprehensive roadmap to eradicate the double track system and steer Ghana back into the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
Ghana’s current exclusion from WAEC is attributed to the persistence of the double-track system in Senior High Schools (SHS), a concern that Forson believes requires immediate attention.
Expressing his dissatisfaction with the status quo during debate on the budget estimates of the Ministry of Education on Tuesday, December 19, the Minority leader pointed to the far-reaching consequences of Ghana’s absence from the WAEC.
He emphasized the urgency of eliminating the double-track system.
“We are no longer part of the West Africa School Certificate Examination largely because of the double track. Until we eradicate the double-track system, Ghana will forever write the Ghana version of the West African school certificate,” Forson stated.
He underscored the challenges in comparing Ghana’s educational standards with those of neighbouring countries that adhere to the West Africa School Certificate Examination, citing the need for a concrete plan to address the ongoing disparity.
“I would have thought that, as part of their report, they would have given us a roadmap for us to eradicate the double-track system, but strangely, I’m not seeing any roadmap yet,” remarked Forson, expressing disappointment in the absence of a clear plan from the Ministry of Education.
Despite allocating a substantial budget of GH¢29 billion to the Ministry of Education for the year 2024, Ato Forson expressed concern over the lack of progress in eliminating the system currently being used to run secondary schools.
“This system needs to be eradicated one way or the other, and in a very quick way, so that we will be able to join our contemporaries who are writing the West Africa School Certificate Examination,” emphasized the Minority leader, urging swift action for the benefit of Ghana’s education system.
Parliament later approved an amount of GH¢29.5 billion for the services of the Ministry of Education for the 2024 fiscal year.