The effects of multi-track year-round education on the delivery of senior high school education in Ghana. Lessons from global MT-YRE systems

The debate on the effects of Multi Track Year-Round Education (MT-YRE) on educational outcomes remains unresolved in the conventional literature. Nevertheless, Ghana has introduced an MT-YRE in 400 schools to allow graduates from Junior High Schools, who for space constraints, would not have continued their formal educational journey, to enrol in Senior High Schools. The purpose of this study was to examine the prospects and challenges of the MT-YRE on educational outcomes and discuss their implications for educational policy in Ghana. The data used in the study were obtained through a review of literature from databases such as the Educational Resources Information Centre (ERIC), Ebsco, ProQuest and JSTOR and from grey sources such as institutional websites and online media publications. The results from a synthesis of the literature show that the MT-YRE has the prospects of increasing student enrolment while cutting down the cost of infrastructure provision. For instance, the literature indicates that student enrolment at the Senior High School level in Ghana has increased significantly with the introduction of the MT-YRE. However, other literature indicate that the MT-YRE affects educational outcomes negatively. It results in scheduling difficulties among families and denies students the opportunities to take summer jobs. A review of the Ghanaian MT-YRE reveals other challenges, which inlcude high administrative cost (employing more teachers) and poor academic performance of students (as a result of increased contact hours leading to behavioural problems caused by fatigue and boredom). The authors argue that poor academic performance among students is likely to defeat the government’s Free SHS policy. This is because parents are likely to pay higher fees to enrol their non-performing wards in remedial classes. The cost of the lost years for these students may be difficult to quantify. Following the challenges identified, there is the need for educational policy makers to strategically plan towards the development of technical and vocational education to help accommodate the increasing students’ enrolment. Finally, the progress of the MT-YRE should be carefully monitored and evaluated to guide future decision making.