President John Dramani Mahama has announced a policy shift in the implementation of the Community Day Senior High School concept, with rural schools expected to be converted into boarding institutions.
He said the change had become necessary because many rural schools serve communities spread across large geographical areas, making daily commuting difficult for students.
President Mahama explained that the original Community Day SHS concept was designed to provide schools within communities where students could live at home and commute to school easily.
He made the remarks during an inspection of five ongoing GETFund projects at HAN Senior High School in the Upper West Region as part of his two-day Resetting Ghana Tour.
The President recalled that several E-block schools constructed during his previous term were intended to operate as Community Day Senior High Schools.
However, he said government had subsequently realised that the model was not suitable for all locations, particularly rural communities with wide catchment areas.
“For schools located in rural communities with large catchment areas, we will convert them into boarding schools so that students can reside on campus,” he explained.
President Mahama said the Community Day concept would instead be applied more effectively in high-density population areas, where students can easily travel from their homes to school.
He assured HAN SHS that the transition to boarding status would be supported with the necessary infrastructure.
According to him, government would provide separate dormitory facilities for boys and girls before the school is officially redesignated as a boarding institution.
“Once the contractors complete these projects, we will officially redesignate this school as a boarding school, and you can begin admitting boarding students,” he said.
The President said the policy was aimed at ensuring that students in rural communities were not disadvantaged by long distances and difficult daily journeys to school.
He also commended the quality of the ongoing GETFund projects at HAN SHS and reminded stakeholders that the facilities were being financed with taxpayers’ money.
President Mahama said government would continue investing in educational infrastructure to improve access, reduce congestion and create better learning conditions for students across the country.
He further announced plans to use a newly approved US$300 million World Bank facility to expand schools operating the double-track system, alongside the construction of 16 new senior high schools.
The President said the broader objective is to ensure that by the end of 2027, every Ghanaian child in senior high school would attend classes at the same time without the need for double tracking.
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh(#RomeoWrites✍️)/ Presidential Affairs Correspondent | Ghana 🇬🇭
