In Ghana, 54.3% of respondents supported borrowing for school infrastructure
In Ghana, 54.3% of participants in a nationwide survey supported the government’s proposal to borrow funds to build additional infrastructure for senior high schools (SHS). MyJoyOnline reports that the study was conducted by the Ghana Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA).
Survey results
Some 38.4% of respondents opposed government borrowing to expand school infrastructure, while 6.2% expressed no opinion. The survey covered 1,062 respondents across all 16 regions of the country.
The IEA said that the relatively substantial support for additional borrowing may be linked to pressure on existing SHS infrastructure due to high student numbers under the Free SHS programme. In the institute’s view, many Ghanaians consider expanding school infrastructure necessary to overcome capacity constraints associated with the implementation of this programme.
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The Double-Track system
The Ghanaian government introduced the Double-Track system in 2018 as a temporary measure in response to infrastructure shortages following the introduction of the Free SHS policy. Under this system, students were divided into two groups that attend school alternately, making it possible to teach more students in existing facilities.
At the same time, 64.7% of respondents believe that the Double-Track system has reduced the quality of education in senior high schools. The IEA noted that the survey results indicate many Ghanaians’ concerns about its impact on the quality of secondary education.
