THE Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), last Friday took a giant step in its efforts to end the shift school system by September this year with a sod cutting ceremony to commence construction work on a GH¢309,582 18-class room block for the Ayalolo Cluster of Schools in Accra.
The school facility is one out of the 50 18-classroom blocks (storey buildings) to be constructed in the metropolis.
When completed it will have a computer lab, restrooms, a fully furnished teacher’s office, a library and a hall for performing arts.
There are an estimated 160,000 pupils in basic schools in the metropolis, however available classroom space can only accommodate 89,000 at a particular time.
It is for this reason that the metropolitan education directorate adopted the shift system to make room for the remaining 71,000 pupils representing 44 per cent of the total basic pupil population in the metropolis.
Under the shift system, class rooms are shared between two classes, where by one uses it in the morning for a stipulated period and the other in the afternoon.
This situation militated against the eight hours study period, reducing it to four, hence limited time for extra-curriculum activities.
It is against these backdrops that the AMA launched an educational endowment fund earlier this year to raise funds to provide school facilities to address the educational needs of pupils, a move which fits into the assembly’s “New Accra for a Better Ghana” agenda under its Millennium city initiatives.
In an address, the AMA Chief Executive, Mr Alfred Vanderpuije, said the classroom blocks would be constructed according to the Ghana Building code and used solely for educational purposes.
He said currently the assembly’s educational fund amounted to about GHc 173,758 following the massive attention it had drawn.
Mr Vanderpuije advised contractors on the project to strictly abide by the designs set out for the school blocks as well as to ensure quality of work.
“It is our firm belief that by the time we are through with the construction of these blocks, the face of education in the metropolis would have changed completely for a better Ghana”, he said.
For his part the Minister of Education, Mr. Alex Tettey-Enyo, lauded the assembly for the initiative to improve educational infrastructure and standards in the metropolis.
He said government had over the years made efforts to reduce the number of basic schools operating the shift system in Accra.
The Minister said as part of the ministry’s plans to eliminate the shift system at basic school level, especially in the urban areas, “an allocation of GH¢3 million has been made in the 2010 GETFund financing program.
This he said would go a long way to reduce the number of schools in the category, saying “it is the commitment of the government that we end the practice of the shift system in Ghana’s educational system”.
Mr Tettey-Enyo urged other Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to emulate the AMA, while encouraging them to take bold measures, whenever necessary, to brighten their corners, thereby actualizing the “better Ghana’ vision.
The school facility is one out of the 50 18-classroom blocks (storey buildings) to be constructed in the metropolis.
When completed it will have a computer lab, restrooms, a fully furnished teacher’s office, a library and a hall for performing arts.
There are an estimated 160,000 pupils in basic schools in the metropolis, however available classroom space can only accommodate 89,000 at a particular time.
It is for this reason that the metropolitan education directorate adopted the shift system to make room for the remaining 71,000 pupils representing 44 per cent of the total basic pupil population in the metropolis.
Under the shift system, class rooms are shared between two classes, where by one uses it in the morning for a stipulated period and the other in the afternoon.
This situation militated against the eight hours study period, reducing it to four, hence limited time for extra-curriculum activities.
It is against these backdrops that the AMA launched an educational endowment fund earlier this year to raise funds to provide school facilities to address the educational needs of pupils, a move which fits into the assembly’s “New Accra for a Better Ghana” agenda under its Millennium city initiatives.
In an address, the AMA Chief Executive, Mr Alfred Vanderpuije, said the classroom blocks would be constructed according to the Ghana Building code and used solely for educational purposes.
He said currently the assembly’s educational fund amounted to about GHc 173,758 following the massive attention it had drawn.
Mr Vanderpuije advised contractors on the project to strictly abide by the designs set out for the school blocks as well as to ensure quality of work.
“It is our firm belief that by the time we are through with the construction of these blocks, the face of education in the metropolis would have changed completely for a better Ghana”, he said.
For his part the Minister of Education, Mr. Alex Tettey-Enyo, lauded the assembly for the initiative to improve educational infrastructure and standards in the metropolis.
He said government had over the years made efforts to reduce the number of basic schools operating the shift system in Accra.
The Minister said as part of the ministry’s plans to eliminate the shift system at basic school level, especially in the urban areas, “an allocation of GH¢3 million has been made in the 2010 GETFund financing program.
This he said would go a long way to reduce the number of schools in the category, saying “it is the commitment of the government that we end the practice of the shift system in Ghana’s educational system”.
Mr Tettey-Enyo urged other Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to emulate the AMA, while encouraging them to take bold measures, whenever necessary, to brighten their corners, thereby actualizing the “better Ghana’ vision.
