The World Bank has approved a US$300 million financing package to support the Government of Ghana’s ambitious Transformative Secondary Education for Access, Results and Relevance for Jobs (STARR-J) Project.
The initiative marks a significant step toward ending the double-track system in Senior High Schools nationwide.
Launched as a temporary measure during the expansion of Free Senior High School education, the double-track system has placed enormous pressure on infrastructure and learning conditions.
The STARR-J Project aims to resolve these challenges through targeted investments in educational infrastructure, improved teaching and learning environments, and enhanced system efficiency.
According to the Ministry of Education, the project will expand access, raise quality and relevance, and better align secondary education with the skills demanded by Ghana’s labour market. Officials expect that by 2027, no secondary school in the country will operate under the double-track arrangement.
Speaking on the approval, the Minister for Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, described the funding as “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.”
“This project…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,” the Minister stated.
The Ministry expressed deep appreciation to the World Bank Country Director, Robert Taliercio O’Brien, the Bank’s Education team, and Ghana’s Ministry of Finance led by Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson for their partnership in advancing the transformation of the education sector.
The STARR-J Project reaffirms the Government’s commitment to providing equitable access to quality secondary education and equipping Ghanaian students with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive in an increasingly competitive global economy.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
