Student Teachers’ Perception on the Implementation of Double-Tracking System in the Colleges of Education in Ghana

Ghana’s educational system has undergone substantial transformations since the introduction of the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy in 2017. This policy led to a significant increase in the number of SHS graduates, many of whom opted to pursue higher education, particularly at Colleges of Education. However, the rapid surge in applicants exceeded the existing infrastructural capacity of these institutions. In response to the increasing demand for teacher education, Colleges of Education introduced the Double Track System during the 2019/2020 academic year. This study examines student-teachers’ perceptions of the implementation of the Double Track System at Komenda College of Education, Ghana. The study adopted a cross-sectional descriptive survey research design. The study selected 400 students from the second and fourth years of Komenda College of Education using the simple random sampling procedure. The findings revealed that the implementation of the double-track system helped reduce pressure on the existing facilities in the college since a cohort of teacher trainees stayed away from it for a period stipulated in the academic calendar. Additionally, it helped increase the number of students admitted to the college. However, it also came to light that some students used the break or the holidays to seek job opportunities at the expense of their academic studies. It was recommended that policies should not be pushed down to students from the top for implementation, but rather student teachers should be involved in decisions that derive those policies.