Accra, June 15, GNA - Vice President John Dramani Mahama has commended the Accra Metropolitan

Assembly (AMA) for abolishing the shift system in basic schools in Accra, saying "it is an important

move towards addressing the challenges confronting basic education in the country." "It is a bold decision you have taken which I so much believe will help to eliminate truancy and other

waywardness that the shift system has caused over the time." Vice President Mahama gave this commendation when he received a cheque for GHc103,000.00 from

the China Enterprise Chamber of Commerce in Ghana at the Castle to support the AMA initiated 50-

classroom block project. The AMA recently abolished the shift system where a batch of pupils go to school in the morning and

a second batch in the afternoon and laid out an ambitious plan to build 50 classroom blocks to shelter

the pupils before next January. The Assembly also launched an education endowment fund to mobilize adequate funds for those

projects. Vice President Mahama, who received the cheque on behalf of the Assembly, thanked the Chinese

Chamber for their contribution to the development of the country's education system. "We appreciate the gesture and hope that it will encourage others to support us in that respect," he

said. He urged the AMA to put to good use the donation and other monies that would accrue from the

endowment fund. Mr Hu Yujie, Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy, who led the executives of the Chamber to the

Castle, said the donation was a demonstration of the commitment of Chinese companies in Ghana to

their social responsibility. He said education was instrumental to the development of every human endeavour hence their

widow's mite to enhance the educational system of the AMA in years to come. Dr Alfred Vanderpuije, Mayor of Accra, thanked the Chamber for the assistance and said the donation

would be used to construct the third classroom block under the Assembly's project as the first two

blocks were underway.