Deputy Minister for Education, Dr Clement Apaak
The Deputy Minister for Education, Dr Clement Apaak, has announced that one hundred and fifty thousand (150,000) students will be placed in private schools through the Centralized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).
Speaking on the 2025 budget in Parliament on Monday, the deputy minister explained that this initiative aims to phase out the double-track system.
He disclosed that 413 secondary and TVET institutions are still operating under the double-track system.
“As the Minister for Education has already announced, we anticipate that about one hundred and fifty thousand students will be placed in private schools through the CSSPS,” Dr Apaak stated.
According to him, “We believe that by combining strategies—such as expanding infrastructure and funding placements in private schools—we can restore normalcy to our educational system.”
He also recalled that the previous President had pledged to eliminate the double-track system before the end of his first term. “Mr. Speaker, when he failed to fulfill that promise, he later assured Ghanaians that the system would be abolished at the beginning of his second term,” Dr Apaak stated.
The Deputy Minister further emphasized that the positive change Ghanaians voted for “will reflect in their lives—a change that we can all feel and attest to.”
“Consequently, the NDC government, under John Dramani Mahama, will end this burdensome double-track system through a combination of strategies. One approach is to complete the numerous unfinished structures on secondary school campuses.
“This can be achieved because the President, who is thoughtful and understands the struggles of the ordinary Ghanaian, has taken the necessary step of decapping GETFund. As a result, GETFund will now be in a position to fulfill its legal mandate. Additionally, we will integrate private schools into the implementation of this policy,” Dr Apaak added.