Headlines:
| MOE phasing out shift system |
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| Saturday, 04 July 2009 | |
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Despite financial
constraints and a shortage of space, the Ministry of Education is pressing
ahead with plans to phase out the shift system in schools. There have been repeated complaints that the system has, among other things, placed students at a disadvantage as they are deprived adequate hours of schooling. Chief Education Officer Jasper Lawrence has admitted that the system is flawed and changes will be made. "The Ministry is in the process of phasing out shifts because there's less time and task. The average school day in shift schools are 4½ hours per shift where on a regular day, it is on average a minimum of 5 hours so there's less time. "Schools that operate on shifts also have less time for extra curriculum activities that play a major role in the student's socialization," said Mr. Lawrence Friday during RJR's daily current affairs programme Beyond the Headlines. He also cautioned that although the system is to be phased out, its merits must not be forgotten. According to him, the shift system served to cut the time that children spent on the roads going to and from schools as parents sought to enroll their children in nearby schools. It also served to cut the cost to parents sending them to a school that was some distance away. |