GHANASS climaxes 80th anniversary celebrations as head appeals for assistance

Headmistress of the Ghana Senior High School (GHANASS) at Koforidua in the Eastern Region has appealed to government and corporate entities to support the school in diverse ways to enhance teaching and learning.

Nana Naki Otutuabo II who is also the Queen mother of Kordiabe in the Shai Osudoku Traditional Area in the Greater Accra Region, who made the appeal during the school’s 80th speech and prize giving day in Koforidua said it was important that all old students and stakeholders came together to financially support their alma mater to help achieve academic excellence.

Emphasizing on the lack of mono desks, she said, “Considering our current student population, we need 1,500 classroom mono desks to create a conducive environment for teaching and learning. Currently, our students are supposed to make use of the dining hall desks in the classroom,” she appealed adding that experts have warned the school against the continuous use of the dining hall desks by the students.

Other challenges she mentioned which she said were creating an impediment for teaching and learning include, understocked library, stalled dining hall projects, inadequate computers, lack of a sizeable assembly hall and a 4000-capacity ultra-modern assembly hall.

The headmistress also appealed to government to help complete the ongoing 12-unit and 8-unit classroom projects as well as staff accommodation facilities in order to bring more teachers to campus.

Special Guest of Honour at the Event and Special Advisor to the President, Mr. Yaw Osafo Marfo said the NPP government stands out as the only government to actualize the concept of progressively free education.

“Since the onset of the fourth republic, this is the only government that has operationalized a constitutional provision which talks about progressively making education free,” he said.

According to the president’s special advisor, government is now executing a twelve-year roadmap geared towards growing enrolment as well as enhancing quality education to churn out graduates who are suitable for the country’s industries.

Mr. Osafo Marfo noted: “In addition to rolling out the free SHS, government formulated and is now implementing the education strategic plan of 2018 to 2030 as a catalyst towards increasing enrolment and enhancing quality education in order to achieve industry-relevant graduates.”

According to him, despite the continuous review of the country’s educational system, there’s a need for further review, adding that Ghana’s educational system must be geared towards the needs of the land.

He was convinced that the changes carried by government would bring a lot of positive changes in the educational system.

On his part, the Ga Mantse and an old student himself, His Royal Majesty, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru rallied the current student population and the old students to uphold the legacy they had inherited and the responsibility they bear to carry the torch forward.

Envisaging a situation where fledging minds develop in the quest for relentless knowledge, the chief said, “we envision where young minds could flourish where the pursuit of knowledge would be relentless and where the flicker of curiosity would be fanned into the flames of enlightenment, and they would stand on the shoulders of those pioneers reaping the rewards of their foresight.”

About GHANASS

The Ghana Senior High School (also known as GHANASS), with the nickname the Beacon of the East and located at Effiduase in the New Juaben North Municipality of the Eastern Region of Ghana, was established in the year 1943 by two illustrious gentlemen, Mr. Fred Addai and Mr. Francis Adjei Tetebo, the first Headmaster.

One of the leading second-cycle institutions in the Eastern Region, the initial name of the school was Phoenix College, with an enrolment of 16 boys. It became necessary for the school to change its location to the building which used to be Normal Technical Institute.

This change in location also led to a change in name to Christ College.

The school finally moved to its current location at Effiduase, by the efforts of Rev. Dr. Nimako, the first Member of Parliament for New Juaben Constituency, Mr. W. Wutor, a contractor, and Nana Frempong Mposo II, the then chief of Effiduase.

The school’s name became Ghana Secondary School, upon a request following a visit to Koforidua by the first President of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

Achievements While student enrolment currently stands at 2,528 from the initial 16, the school’s staff strength including teachers and non-teaching staff also stands at 230.

The school has over the years, nurtured and churned out academically versatile men and women as Ghanass every year produces more students for tertiary school enrolment.

Also, Ghanass during the 2021 edition of the UBA National Essay Competition emerged first with four of its students also emerging victorious under the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) programme.

In the prestigious National Science and Maths Quiz, the school hopes to progress beyond the 1/8th stage to the enviable semi-final and final stages.

In sports, the school continues to calve an enviable niche for itself in many sports disciplines with notable successes in athletics, producing some sporting men for the national teams.

Projects

Among the various completed and ongoing projects are a completed boys Dormitory Block, ongoing Dining Hall Complex, a completed Canteen, a Girls Dormitory Block in progress, 12-unit classroom block-in progress, a completed Ultra-modern incinerator with major renovation works being carried out in the dormitories, classrooms, administration block, science block,clinic and the library.

The headmistress however expressed the school’s appreciation to the government, its Board of Governors, the Parents Association, Old Students Association in the various year groups (GOSAGlobal), GapBuster Ghana, Fugen International, the Effiduase-Hene and his people, the New Juaben Omanhene amongst others for their continuous support for the school.