The Holy Trinity Senior High School (HOTCASS) in Accra is currently running a shift system. The first group of 484 students comprising form three and form four take up lessons between 7:30am to 12:30pm whilst the second group of 699 students in forms one and two start lessons from 12:30pm to 4pm. School authorities say the system was adopted to solve the infrastructural challenges facing the school, whilst government takes steps to complete a three storey classroom block it is constructing for the school. The Headmaster of the School, William Dompreh Adjeye tells Asempa News some classrooms had to be demolished to make space for the construction of the three storey building. “The school lack space and classrooms and so we had to pull down the form two classrooms to pave way for construction of a new storey building.” Mr. Dompreh Adjeye said the contractor had assured them of completing the work by the end of March 2011, but the school authorities have given themselves up to the beginning of next academic year which falls in May 2011 to revert to normal schedules. Mr. Dompreh Adjeye admitted the shift system is extremely affecting teaching and learning. He said contact periods between teachers and students are limited whilst some students also take advantage of the situation to roam in town. “Truancy has increase but we punish students by suspending them if they are caught. We keep on checking with the registers. Some of them would tell their parents they are for afternoon shift in the morning and in the afternoon they would say they are for morning”. Meanwhile the Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Joseph Annan says the Ministry is unaware of the situation in the school. All attempts by Asempa News to get the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education to comment on this issue prove futile. This comes at a time when shift system in even basic schools in the Accra Metropolis has been abolished to enhance the education system. Story: Kwaku Antwi-Otoo/Asempa FM/Ghana