The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has fulfilled its promise of publishing names of contributors to its endowment fund launched last month, to enable it to meet the critical challenge confronting public schools in the city.
At the launch of the fund in Accra, Dr Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, promised that names of contributors would be published every Friday, starting from March 5 and a publication once a month on how the funds have been utilised.
The GH¢6.0 million fund is to help end the shift system in basic schools, which gives more than 70,000 pupils only four hours of studies
instead of the required eight hours.
An amount GH¢3,100.00 was raised while $6,055.00 was from Ghanaians abroad.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Dr Vanderpuije, expressed his appreciation to those who have contributed to the fund with account number 1000100585501 at the Accra main branch of National Investment Bank.
Dr Vanderpuije, who is also an educationalist, reiterated his call to
the business community, financial institutions and information communications technology service providers, telecommunication operators,
oil companies, airlines, churches, international organisations such as UNICEF, USAID, World Vision, Adventist Development and Relief Agency,
philanthropists at home and abroad to donate in cash and kind.
The AMA said it would welcome donations in kind such as cement, iron rods, roofing sheets, sand, stones, nails, paint, wood and furniture.
It plans to provide 84 pavilions for primary schools and 45 pavilions for Junior High Schools (JHS), 13,600 dual desks for the primary schools and 7,327 for junior high schools.
In addition, an extra 1,340 sets of teachers' chairs and tables and 1,172 storage cupboards for both primary and JHS would be required.
The Metropolitan Education Directorate was compelled to adopt the shift system some years ago but the Metropolitan Chief Executive had described it as "unfair to our future leaders".
He said there was the need to arrest the situation until the needed resources were made available to build the more than 2,000 classrooms needed in the metropolis.
The AMA administration has made the cessation of the shift system a key priority on the agenda of the Accra Millennium City programme.
"Our goal is that at the beginning of the school term in September, this year, the 71,000 pupils who are running the shift system should begin to enjoy full school work.
Zoomlion Ghana limited has pledged to build a six-unit classroom block and also provided free bins to the various schools in Accra.
It also received pledges from Ghana International Airline, which has presented two business class tickets to be auctioned and the proceeds donated to the fund.
Dream Reality Limited has committed itself to build one classroom block valued at 46,000.00 dollars, whilst G.S. International Developers
Ghana limited has also pledged to build a six-unit classroom block.