GES Phasing Out Shift System

THE Ghana Education Service (GES) is phasing out the shift system from the country’s educational system.

Already the scheme has been phased out in some urban schools.

The service is currently sourcing funds from the World Bank to expand educational infrastructure to accommodate pupils at the basic level to make the phasing out programme feasible.

Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, a deputy Director-General of GES, who disclosed this in an interview in Accra, said the shift system was introduced as part of the Educational Reform Programme, which increased intake beyond the capacity of existing infrastructure.

He said, however, that the system has proved disastrous, both in terms of making truants out of students, over-stretching the teaching staff who are not paid for the extra hours, and affecting the general performance of students due to reduction in contact hours.

He said this also affects real academic work and teaching in the schools.

Mr Tettey-Enyo said in view of these problems, the shift system has proved undesirable.

He explained that the abolition of the system has already taken place in some districts but due to the ever-increasing population in some of the urban centres and semi-urban centres, it has been difficult to effect it without expanding infrastructure.

He said the issue has been a headache for the GES for some time now and the service has held series of discussions with donor agencies to support the GES financially to enable it to put up more school blocks in the urban centres.

He said the GES has also called on the district assemblies to make resources available to enable them to provide more classroom blocks at the district level to speed up the phasing out of the shift system.

Mr Tettey-Enyo, therefore, appealed to non governmental organisations (NGOs) to also assist in the provision of infrastructure to meet the increasing population.

Mrs Mary Quaye, Dangbe West District Director of Education, who was also present, said gradually the shift system is being phased out in her district.

She said the system has not proved effective, adding that normally, classes close at 12 noon, instead of 2 p.m., and this has affected the full coverage of syllabus.

It would be recalled that the Daily Graphic of February 22 carried a story in which the Eastern Regional Director of the Ghana National Commission on Children, Mr Seth Oduro Boateng, advocated strongly that the shift system should be abolished.

He maintained that the system breeds truancy among pupils, while others hide behind it to avoid being apprehended for not attending classes.

He explained that most children seen loitering around during school hours generally give the excuse that they belong to the morning or afternoon shift, depending on when they are found outside the classroom.

He said unless this system is done away with, the future of a number of children would be in jeopardy.