Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister of Education, has lauded heads of Senior High Schools (SHSs) for their contribution to educational development in the country.

He said their commitment to the successful implementation of the 'Free SHS Programme' and other policies meant to ensure the growth of Ghana's human resource base was commendable.

"These are individuals who toil day and night to make sure our children are fed, everything that they need is provided and education is advanced," Dr Adutwum told the Ghana News Agency (GNA)in Kumasi on the sidelines of a meeting with members of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) in the Ashanti and Western North Regions.

The Minister said the government had resolved to provide the schools with the requisite furniture, educational materials and infrastructure to deliver quality education to the benefit of the students.

According to him, the authorities had stepped up efforts to maximize the provision of adequate classrooms in SHSs with the view to creating enough space for the students to learn.

Consequently, the government was liaising with the various contractors working on school building projects across the country for speedy completion.

Dr Adutwum emphasized that the underlying objective was to bring an end to the double-track system, adding that currently, a considerable number of schools had enough infrastructure to conduct normal academic sessions.

"It is our hope that by next year, the schools which still have the double-track system running might have moved on to single-track," he told the GNA.

Ms Mary Owusu Afryie, Ashanti Regional Director of Education, encouraged the school heads to work assiduously to realize the educational goals of the country.

Alhaji Yakub A. B. Abubakar, the National President of CHASS, described the members' meeting with the Minister as fruitful, especially regarding their concerns and challenges with educational delivery.

The meeting discussed the performance of SHSs in respect of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), the welfare of the school heads, and the provision of infrastructure, among others.