Kwadaso MP. Dr Afriyie Akoto has called on the Accra Mayor to be transparent about monies accrued to an education fund he launched to aid the abolition of the shift system. The Accra Metropolitan Assembly, early this year, launched an education fund to raise GH¢6 million from corporate institutions and individuals to build more classroom blocks towards achieving the abolition of the shift system in public schools within the Accra metropolis. 371 temporary classroom blocks are being provided to accommodate pupils in the metropolis. Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana programme Tuesday, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto commended the Accra Mayor for living up to his word. “You know, I really admire Mr Vanderpuije ...these are the kinds of people we need in the country to push the development agenda, he comes in, he diagnosis the specific problem and tells you how he’s going to solve it,” the MP said. He however asked Mr Vanderpuije to explain to the public the amount of money that has so far been realised through the fund. “I haven’t seen anywhere how much money he has collected so far in the trust fund, how much has been spent, what is outstanding. We need some transparency; given the atmosphere of corruption these days, people tend to get a bit worried when monies are raised and we don’t see the light as to what is happening to the fund…”. The MP expressed hope that Mr Vanderpuije would be able to raise the GH¢6 million in order to construct permanent buildings to provide the needed accommodation for school children in the metropolis. He also urged the Ghana Education Service to duplicate this effort in other parts of the country. Contributing to the discussion, Communications Minister Haruna Iddrisu described the Accra Mayor as a ‘tough guy’, commending him for achieving such a feat. He said the abolition of the shift system is a major contribution to achieving that aspect of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that emphasise access to quality basic education. Mr Iddrisu was confident that duplicating this across the country would eliminate the disparity between rural and urban education as well as private and public school education. He took exception to issues of corruption and transparency raised by the New Patriotic Party MP, saying that if anyone has evidence of corruption against the mayor, the person should report to the right authorities to deal with him. He insisted that Mr Vanderpuije is putting monies in the trust fund to good use. Haruna appealed to corporate bodies within the Accra Metropolis to support the AMA and partner the government to make quality education available to all children. By: Dorcas Efe Mensah.myjoyonline.com/Ghana