Oppon Memorial SHS cries for support

The Oppon Memorial Senior High School (SHS) at Kokofu, in the Bekwai Municipality, has held its 40th anniversary celebration with a call to the government, to act quickly to provide it with the needed infrastructure and facilities for smooth academic work.

Mr. Joseph Kofi Baffoe, the Headmaster, said the school was inundated with myriad of challenges and these were making things pretty hard for the students and their teachers.

He specifically cited inadequate classrooms, the lack of teachers’ accommodation, properly equipped science laboratory, information and communication technology (ICT) centre, assembly and dining halls.

He described as unhelpful, the situation, where more than 80 per cent of the teaching staff daily travelled from Kumasi to teach, adding that, this should change.

That arrangement was making it difficult to ensure discipline - control and effectively supervise the students.

Mr. Baffoe said although the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) had completed an 18-unit classroom block for it and had started the construction of another structure, these were simply not enough, given the magnitude of classroom congestion.

The celebration coincided with the school’s first ever speech and prize-giving day.

The headmaster said despite the challenges, its performance in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), over the past four years, had been encouraging, with many of the students presented, gaining admission into tertiary institutions.

Professor Robert Kwame Nkum, the Board Chairman, said there was an urgent need to provide the school with standard academic facilities including well-equipped science and computer laboratories.

He pointed out that it could not depend on the benevolence of its past students and parents for continued operation.

Barima Offeh Akwasi Okogyeasuo, Omanhene of Kokofu, applauded the management and staff, for the hard work and commitment, in the face of genuine difficulties.

He urged them to remain undaunted and to give it their all to assure the youth of a better.

Madam Mary Jantoah, the Bekwai Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), advised the students to be disciplined and to focus on their books.