By Bernice Bessey
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has commissioned the fourth of the hundred (100) Millennium City Schools to be built to totally eliminate the age-long shift system practiced in schools in Accra.
The Assembly in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other donors is yet to complete 86 of the remaining blocks by the close of 2016, the AMA boss, Dr. Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije has hinted.
The AMA boss speaking at the commissioning of Zamrama line Cluster of Schools, yesterday noted that as education continues to be the key to development of any community and nation, the Assembly will continue to make the needed investment into it.
“It is for this reason why that the AMA in 2010 resolved not only to eliminate the shift system of education at the basic but to build what we call Millennium City Schools,” he said.
The uniqueness of these schools is that it a 3-stoery building with ancillary facility such as ICT Centre, library, science laboratory, a generator set, a borehole among others to promote effective and efficient teaching and learning.
As many Ghanaian institutions are known for lacking maintenance culture, the assembly has made a record of putting in place a sustainable maintenance programme that would ensure that the facilities function well at all times.
Dr. Vanderuije said shift system was consider as an option because classroom space available could only accommodate 89,000 but instead housed 160,000 pupils, “the 71,000 (44%) were catered for through the shift system.”
The mayor also announced for two years running, the assembly haven’t passed the FOAT assessment and has therefore been awarded substantial grants of approximately US$10.3million.
The Education minister, Prof. Naana Jane Agyemang on the other hand called on parents to show respect teachers and resist the act of attacking and assaulting educators when directing and instructing their children.
She said it is the teacher that plays the role of nurturing the child in education and builds up his/her morals to become want they need to become in future, “this kind of act must be stopped.”
With the school, Prof. Naana Jane Agyemang said she was happy because a vision has become a reality and called on religious bodies and organizations to join the assembly to give the Ghanaian child a quality education.
A preventative from USAID which has committed an amount of US$2.7milliom to the project, said every educated child is a golden opportunity for Ghana’s future.
The rep added that America is supporting Ghana in education so that what children and young people learn would provide elementary literacy and numeracy skills, thereby preparing them to help keep up with global trends and needs.
The prep noted education can only be successful if the community parents, teachers and pupil partner with the government, “we urge each and every one of you to do your part to strengthen and improve Ghana’s schools and prepare Ghana’s children for the future.”