Yaw Obeng-One Of The First Ghanaian Principals In Toronto

Toronto, Canada -- Some men/women are born great. Others achieve greatness by themselves! Whichever means one takes to greatness, there is always a beginning. Many who could be described as role-models in our community have had humble beginnings guided by hard work and determination. Mr. Yaw Obeng who is one of the few Ghanaian-Canadians to become elementary school principals in Canada falls in this category.

Married with a family Mr. Obeng has been the Principal of Brookview Middle School in the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) since January, 2002. Brookview is an inner city school of about 800 students from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

“Basically I had wanted to be a model for the youth and I remember my parents encouraging me to grow up to be the best I could be,” recalls Mr. Obeng. He sees his present position as an opportunity to impact the lives of many young people, especially those of immigrant communities to which he also belongs.

Yaw Obeng who arrived in Canada during the 1982/83 school year as a Grade 6 student from Maryland, USA was born to Opanyin Kofi Obeng and Madam Akosua Oppong in Germany. As providence would have it, little Yaw was taken from Germany to his homeland-Ghana in 1969 by his grandfather, Opanyin Stephen Oppong who became his greatest mentor in the early 1970s. Little Yaw therefore began his elementary education at the Association International in Accra, Ghana. He later moved with his parents to the United States where he continued with his elementary school before entering Canada.

It was at West Humber Collegiate in Toronto that Yaw had the motivation to become a leader in the teaching profession, which is mostly dominated by mainstream Canadians. That was his dream! And to achieve his dream, he effectively combined his talents in sports with hard work in the academics to win merit awards for both academic and athletic excellence. After completing his secondary education in 1988, Yaw chose to go to the University of New Brunswick to train as a professional teacher completing his postgraduate studies at the university in 1993.

He later did some supply teaching in both New Brunswick and Ontario. At that time it was not easy securing a full-time job. However, the school in Ontario at which Mr. Obeng worked as a long term teacher requested the then Etobicoke Board of Education to employ him as full-time teacher. That school happened to be his former Middle School! “I remain grateful for that opportunity. Working in such low-income community and encouraging the kids in that community to explore opportunities for success was a challenge I enjoyed most,” recalls Mr. Obeng.

I first met Mr. Obeng at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto in 1997. He was studying for his Master’s Degree and at the same time working at the Etobicoke Board of Education in the areas of instruction, equity and community services. His zeal and skills as a leader were evident at that time. No wonder the TDSB found him a good material to head one of its inner city school after the amalgamation.

“Work encouraged me to study hard to get the best of education to be able to assist immigrant youth and others to move up,” Mr. Obeng discloses while recollecting his work experience in warehouses, factories and restaurants during his high school days. Perhaps, this explains the good rapport he has been able to establish with his students and staff at Brookview as a Principal. Succeeding where others had failed!

Being a leader with a minority background, Mr. Obeng is determined to help rebuild the good image of our community so that our youth could be, at least, part of the solution to the problems confronting us as a people. He therefore admonishes all Ghanaians wherever they might be to get involved in the lives of our youth. It takes the whole village to raise up a child.

Mr. Obeng is making the Ghanaian community proud with the able manner he has run the inner city school in Toronto-the commercial capital of Canada-so far. He has given a boost to the literacy and numeracy programs at the school and raised a huge awareness of equity as a means to getting all people involved in giving young people of diverse cultural backgrounds the support they need to succeed in life. Yaw says that his doors are always open to the community.