Double-track to go - GETFund to be uncapped to unlock school projects

President John Dramani Mahama has said the government is committed to eliminating the double-track system, describing it as a challenge.

He said the government would do it by accelerating school infrastructure expansion and completing stalled projects.

To fund this, President Mahama explained that the Education and Finance Ministries were working to uncap the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), for senior high school (SHS) projects.

President Mahama announced this yesterday when he presented his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) since his reelection to Parliament.
 

Free SHS

The President also reemphasised that, “for the record, I, John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana, will not cancel the free SHS programme.”

He said the government was determined to make the free SHS better by improving its implementation.

“Also, for the record, students who have benefitted from the free SHS since its inception are about 3.4 million.

The figure of 5.1 million beneficiaries, as previously put out by the Akufo-Addo government, was an exaggerated and false narrative calculated to achieve political credit.

“While it has improved access, the implementation of free SHS leaves much to be desired.

The outcomes of the ongoing National Education Forum will guide our reforms in this sector,” President Mahama explained.

On the increase in enrolment in the tertiary institutions, he said the rising enrolment had strained university infrastructure, causing overcrowding and inadequate accommodation.

“We are determined to expand access, improve quality and align tertiary education with national goals, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM),” the president said.

He, therefore, announced that feasibility studies for new public universities or campuses of existing universities to be established in the six new regions would commence this year, adding that seed funding for those projects would come from the GETFund to enhance nationwide access.

President Mahama assured that the government would engage with the existing public universities to identify suitable sites on their acquired lands for the implementation of the private sector participation in the provision of hostels.

“This will allow more students to be accommodated on the campuses to allow for a better learning environment,” he added.

President Mahama also assured that the government would uphold academic freedom and expected that the institutions would be required to ensure good governance.