The World Bank Board has approved a US$300 million financing package to support Ghana’s efforts to transform its secondary education sector and phase out the double-track system in Senior High Schools nationwide.
The funding will support the implementation of the Transformative Secondary Education for Access, Results and Relevance for Jobs (STARR-J) Project, a major initiative aimed at expanding access to quality secondary education, improving learning outcomes, and addressing infrastructure challenges linked to the expansion of the Free Senior High School programme.
According to the Ministry of Education, the project is designed to strengthen Ghana’s secondary education system through targeted investments in school infrastructure, enhanced learning conditions, and reforms that align education with labour market demands.
A key objective of the STARR-J Project is to support the government’s commitment to eliminating the double-track system in Senior High Schools.
The Ministry indicated that with the planned investments and reforms, it expects that no secondary school in Ghana will be operating under the double-track system by 2027.
Commenting on the approval, the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, described the project as a significant investment in Ghana’s future.
“This project is a major investment in Ghana’s growing youthful population and a strategic contribution to the country’s long-term human capital development and global competitiveness,” the Minister said.
He added that the initiative would expand educational opportunities and improve learning environments across the country.
“It will help expand learning opportunities, improve school conditions, better align secondary education with the skills demanded by the labour market, and, more importantly, respond to the infrastructure deficit associated with expanded access to Free Secondary Education,” he stated.
The Ministry of Education expressed gratitude to the World Bank and key stakeholders who contributed to securing the financing package.
It specifically acknowledged the support of World Bank Country Director, Robert Taliercio O’Brien, the World Bank Education team, and the Ministry of Finance under the leadership of Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.
The Ministry noted that the STARR-J Project reaffirms the government’s commitment to ensuring equitable access to quality secondary education while equipping Ghanaian students with the knowledge and skills needed to compete in an increasingly globalised economy.
The project is expected to play a critical role in addressing longstanding infrastructure deficits in secondary schools and enhancing the relevance of education to Ghana’s workforce and economic development goals.
