Furniture shortages keep some SHSs on double-track system – Education Minister

According to Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, the government plans to purchase new furniture for certain Senior High Schools (SHSs) in order to eliminate the double-track system in schools that have sufficient classrooms but lack adequate desks and other necessary furniture. Iddrisu explained that some schools are operating under a double-track system despite having ample classroom space because they are short on furniture to accommodate all students at once.

He stated that providing the necessary furniture to these schools could immediately boost their capacity and enable them to transition to a single-track arrangement. During a recent visit to selected schools in the Western Region, including Tarkwa Senior High School, Iddrisu highlighted inadequate furniture as one of the issues preventing certain schools from fully moving away from the double-track system.

The government, in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, will be responsible for this major procurement of furniture to address these specific infrastructure and furniture gaps. The intervention is targeted at schools where classroom space availability is not the major constraint to ending the double-track system. The Education Minister emphasized that the government's approach is to tackle these specific infrastructure and furniture gaps so that schools with available classroom space can simultaneously accommodate students.