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An accelerated plan was embarked upon in the mid-6-s through which there was massive enrolment of children in the primary and middle schools in Ghana, in line with the CPP�s government development agenda. Since the school buildings were not sufficient to cater for the influx of the new entrants, the shift system idea was adopted temporarily until new school blocks were put up. Thus a stream of children went to school in the morning followed by another stream in the afternoon. This became known as the �shift system�. Unfortunately, this �shift system� which was meant to be temporary has prevailed all these years during which the population of Ghana has quadrupled ever since it was started, and education for our children in the state-run primary schools has rather become a joke instead of the serious business it ought to be. Children of the �shift system� always use this as an alibi to play truant in many instances. When accosted as to why they are selling in the streets and not in school in the morning, the answer by many children is: �I�m on the afternoon shift.� When you accost them in the afternoon, the answer they give is: �I went to school in the morning.� These are tricks by which adults and parents are hoodwinked by children. No doubt this shift system is having a toll on the education of our children, particularly those in the state-run schools and it�s time to call a spade a spade and put an end to it. Fortunately, there is hope on the horizon that this shift system will soon come to an end at least in the Accra Metropolitan area. Speaking at a meeting between the AMA and a five-member delegation from the earth institute of Columbia University, USA, recently, the mayor, Alfred Vandepuije, said, ending the shift system in our schools formed part of measures being taken by the assembly to get a new Accra for a better Ghana. He said the shift system would end by September next year and added that all schools found operating the shift system by that date would be closed down. This no doubt, raises a lot of questions. The first is this: Is it possible that by September 2010 enough school buildings would have been put up to accommodate all children who would be compelled to leave the shift system and join the normal stream? The second is this: Since there is acute shortage of teachers in the system, can we assure ourselves of having training teachers to man the new schools if they were to be built? It is very fine to have the lofty ideas that Mr Vanderpuije has, but without adequate financing all these lofty plans will remain on paper. We do hope however that Mr Vanderpuije knows the implication of what he is saying and that he is not saying so �by heart� as we are accustomed to say in this country. All the same, the shift system is not doing our primary education any good and the earlier we find a means of putting a stop to it, the better.