The Ministry of Education has announced that the World Bank has approved a financing package of US$300 million to support Ghana’s transition from the double-track secondary education system under the STARR-J Project — the Transformative Secondary Education for Access, Results and Relevance for Jobs initiative.
According to the Ministry, the project represents a major intervention aimed at strengthening Ghana’s secondary education system by expanding access, improving quality and relevance, and addressing infrastructure deficits that arose from the expansion of Free Senior High School education.
A key objective of the STARR-J Project is to support the government’s commitment to end the double-track system in Senior High Schools nationwide. Through targeted investments in educational infrastructure, improved learning conditions, and enhanced system efficiency, the government expects that by 2027, no secondary school in Ghana will operate under the double-track system.
Speaking on the significance of the approval, Minister for Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, described the project as a “major investment in Ghana’s growing youthful population and a strategic contribution to the country’s long-term human capital development.” He added that the initiative will expand learning opportunities, align education with labour market needs, and address infrastructure challenges associated with the Free SHS policy.
The Ministry expressed appreciation to World Bank Country Director Robert Taliero O’Brien, the World Bank Education team, and the Ministry of Finance, led by Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, for their continued support toward transforming Ghana’s education sector.
The statement reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring equitable access to quality secondary education and equipping Ghanaian students with the skills needed to thrive in an increasingly competitive global economy.
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