Accra, Sept. 27, GNA - Basic school pupils in the Accra Metropolis on Monday commended government for putting up enough structures to officially abolish the shift system of education in the national capital.

They said that the shift system did not allow for good academic exercise adding that it also deprived them of the opportunity to socialize with their friends on regular basis. The shift system is a situation where schools are divided into two groups, and one group goes to school during morning session and the other comes in the afternoon to use the same facilities. This arises as result of lack of enough classroom facilities for the pupils. They made the commendation during a tour of their schools by Mr James Agyenim-Boateng, a Deputy Information Minister and Mr Alfred Vanderpuije, Mayor of Accra, to inspect the facilities and interact with them.

The visit also marked interaction with pupils during "My First Day at School" programme for Primary One pupils. Packs of gifts were distributed to new pupils to encourage them to remain in school.

The delegation was accompanied by officials from the Accra Metro Education Directorate and Members of Parliament for Odododiodioo and Ablekuma South constituencies.

Schools visited include Independence Avenue, Sempe Primary, Accra Royal, Mamprobi Cluster, Korle Gonno Primary and Salvation Army, which were located in the Ashiedu Keteke, Ablekuma South and Ablekuma Central sub-metros of the Accra Metropolis.

In all, 11 sub-metros are benefiting from a total of 373 newly constructed classrooms, out of which 95 were sourced from private structures, enabling over 170,000 pupils, who ran the shift system, to go for regular session of teaching and learning.

Aside the newly constructed structures, is ongoing construction of three-storey buildings, consisting of 18 classrooms with ancillary facilities each, forming part of the Millennium City Schools project to permanently house the pupils.

The pupils gave the assurance that with their new facilities, which offered them serene atmosphere for academic exercise, they had no excuse but to work hard and make good grades.

Mr Agyenim-Boateng said the decision to abolish the shift system in the Metropolis formed part of government's avowed commitment to investing in the education of children and all Ghanaians. He said throughout the country, there was massive education infrastructure development ongoing to end the problem of schooling under trees.

Mr Agyenim-Boateng commended the AMA and its Mayor for the achievement and urged pupils to make good use of the facility by studying hard to achieve great laurels.

Mr Vanderpuije, called on parents to collaborate with the AMA to ensure that children within the Metropolis went to school. He also called for collaboration from the general public to ensure that all children, who loitered on the streets were made to go to school since there would be no excuse that "am for afternoon, or am for morning", which was the mantra of the children to absent themselves from school.

Mr Vanderpuije thanked religious bodies and other private schools who helped by releasing parts of their unused structures to be used by pupils to abolish the shift system.