You can go to court but government won't rescind its decision over double track system.. Education minister to critics.

Education minister Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has expressed shocked over decision of some individuals seeking legal action to stop government from implementing the double track system.
According to the Minister, government won't rescind its decision in the implementation of the the double track system.
He said although citizens have the right to seek legal action, government won't change its mind towards the the policy.

"I am surprised that the citizen has been in this country and governments have offered feeding grants and boarding grants since Ghana became Ghana, I don't know where that person was. Government still provides grants and pay scholarships", Dr. Opoku explained.
The minister makes this revelation when he was responding to a question asked about an individual who was trying to secure legal action against government to stop the double track system .

Justifying government decision over the double track system at the meet press series in Accra, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh said the system starting from September this year would increase access to education for all.
He said much consultations were done to make the policy a success and as such it will create job for over 8000 teachers across the country.

Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh also added that although concerns were raised about the quality of the initiative, increased in contact hours between students and teachers is assured hence quality won't be compromised.
"The contact time for a course of study is dependent upon the content of the curricula and what we are saying is that for the free SHS there is an improved contact times so it must cater for the curricula", the Minister stated.

Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh further extends call to parents who are willing to support the system to do so as philanthropists.
He said targeting was good but the major challenges that government faced was unavailability of data on both the poor and the rich making it difficult for government to exclude some individuals from the country's free SHS program.

The minister urged rich parents who are wealthy and willing to volunteer and assist government with finance for the success of the program.
The minister said some portion of the country's oil revenue was also put aside to fund the government free SHS flagship project.
He said due to time constraints, government cannot build or expand infrastructure before September this year hence the double track system.
He said government has also secured over 1 billion cedis to complete all GETFUND infrastructure projects in the country.

The initiative will affect only 400 SHS across the country.
The Double track system was a temporal intervention adopted by government to solve problems affecting the free Senior High School SHS.
The system will be a semester system meaning instead of attending school three times in a year at the senior high school level it will now be two years for all .

By: Richard Adonu Mensah.