By Benjamin Akoto
Sunyani, Nov. 18, GNA – Three Parliamentary Candidates (PCs) contesting the Sunyani East Constituency seat in the Election 2024, have called for the termination of the ‘Double-Track’ system in Senior High School (SHS), in the supreme interest of students.
The PCs include Seid Mubarak of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sampson Sampana of the Peoples National Convention (PNC), and Ransford Antwi, an Independent Candidate.
They said the double-track system had not only slowed down the growth and development of education in the country but had affected its quality too.
They made the call during a parliamentary debate organised by the Sunyani Municipal Directorates of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in Sunyani.
Mr Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh, the incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) and the party’s PC could, however, not turn up for the event, creating an opportunity for his opponents to highlight their visions for the constituency.
Mr Mubarak, the NDC PC emphasised that the NDC was strongly against the implementation of the double-track system because the system was impeding quality education in the country.
He said the next NDC government would therefore prioritize the expansion of educational infrastructure by ensuring that it completed all the abandoned work on the construction of the E-Block projects initiated by the NDC.
Mr Sampana, the PNC Parliamentary Candidate, criticised the double-track system, saying it had reduced the learning hours of students, thereby hindering their knowledge acquisition.
He said a more equitable distribution of student quotas, as well as adequate education infrastructure was required to contain students.
Mr Antwi, the Independent Parliamentary Candidate also expressed similar sentiments, saying the government should have expanded educational infrastructure before implementing the free SHS programme.
“The implementation of the system has not helped the nation, and we must cancel it in the supreme interest of the students,” he stated.
Earlier in a welcoming address, Mr Benjamin Kyere, the Sunyani Municipal Director of NCCE, underlined the need to create a common platform for the PCs to share visions, saying that would allow the electorates to also make informed decisions on December 7.
He said voting remained a civic right and urged all eligible voters to go and cast their ballots and as a means of contributing their quota towards accelerated national development.
The Parliamentary Candidates also outlined their visions for health and job creation.
GNA