Ending Double-Track System Will Boost WASSCE Performance, Mahama Says

President John Dramani Mahama has said that phasing out the double-track system in senior high schools will improve students’ performance in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) by increasing contact hours between teachers and students.

Mahama made the remarks on August 13, 2026, during his first-day tour of the Upper East Region. He linked reduced teaching time under the current system to challenges facing the Free Senior High School programme.

“We realised that one of the things affecting Free Senior High School was the reduced contact hours between the students and the teachers,” Mahama said. “So, we believe that if we end the double-track, it will increase the student-teacher contact hours and we believe that will improve their performance in the WAEC exams,” he said. 

The double-track system was introduced to manage the sharp rise in enrolment that followed the Free SHS policy. It divides students into groups that attend school on alternating schedules. Critics have long argued that this arrangement shortens effective learning time and affects examination readiness.

The government aims to complete the transition to a single-track system by the end of 2027, provided sufficient classroom and boarding infrastructure is built to accommodate all students at once.

Mahama’s comments form part of ongoing efforts to address quality concerns in secondary education while maintaining the Free SHS policy.