Pope John SHS to Reduce Student Intake Amid Shift to Single Track System

Pope John Senior High School and Minor Seminary will decrease its student intake starting in the 2025/2026 academic year as part of efforts to phase out the transitional double track system. This decision was announced by the Headmaster, Rev. Fr. Benjamin Opoku Ohene.

The reduction follows a directive from the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES), which are collaborating with selected schools to fully transition back to the single track system by 2027. The double track system, introduced in 2017 under the previous NPP administration to manage the surge in enrollment from the Free SHS policy, divided students into two cohorts—“Green” and “Gold”—to address infrastructure constraints. Despite its intentions, the system has faced ongoing criticism regarding its impact on instructional time and student outcomes.

During the school’s 67th Anniversary Speech and Prize-Giving Day, Rev. Fr. Opoku Ohene stated that the changes would take effect with the first-year admissions for the 2025/2026 academic year. “To successfully implement this transition in our school, we will need to reduce student intake and the number of classes, beginning with the upcoming 2025/2026 Form One admissions,” he said.

Under the new plan, the number of Form One classes across various programs will be reduced as follows:
– General Arts and General Science will each decrease from 7 to 5 classes.
– Business will be reduced from 4 to 3 classes.
– Visual Arts will drop from 3 to 2 classes.

While acknowledging the benefits of this transition—such as reduced congestion and enhanced learning conditions—the headmaster expressed concerns about potential long-term consequences. “There are far-reaching implications to consider; in the future, we may face issues of redundancy and a gradual reduction in the number of teaching staff,” he cautioned.

The school is one of several Senior High Schools across the country preparing to fully return to the single track system by 2027, in line with the government’s education reform agenda.

Minister for Defence, Dr. Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, who was the Guest of Honour at the event, also took the opportunity to advocate for the government’s flagship “One Million Coders” program. This initiative aims to equip Ghanaian youth with essential digital skills.

“This program is about equipping young people with the tools they need to succeed in the digital era—skills like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, coding, data analysis, and more,” Dr. Omane Boamah stated. “These aren’t luxury skills reserved for Silicon Valley; they are becoming essential for navigating modern life.”

He emphasized the important role digital literacy will play in shaping careers in fields such as medicine, education, engineering, and agriculture, encouraging students to embrace continuous learning as a pathway to innovation and national development.

“We’re building the capacity to solve real Ghanaian challenges—using data to improve healthcare, deploying smart tools to protect farms, applying AI to enhance classroom learning, and strengthening national security through intelligent systems,” he added.

Dr. Omane Boamah also called on alumni and parents to support the enhancement of the school’s science laboratories and ICT facilities as part of Ghana’s broader digital transformation agenda. He encouraged students to view global challenges like climate change and digital disruption as opportunities, urging them to embrace innovation and adaptability.

“The world is evolving. Learn digital skills, explore artificial intelligence, embrace entrepreneurship. Create things. Fail. Try again. Learn, unlearn, and relearn. Use your knowledge to uplift others—that’s where true fulfillment lies,” he concluded.