AMANFO YOUTH CALLING DATE: 21ST JULY, 2008 VENUE: CULTURAL CENTER
PRESS CONFERENCE
Following the poor performance of Prempeh College in the past 6 years under the administration of Mr. Owusu Achiaw (HEADMASTER), we deem it fit to make our opinion public as stake holders of the school, Prempeh College.
The following are some of the dismal counts of Mr. Owusu Achiaw (headmaster)
ACADEMICS
In the history of Prempeh College, the worst SSCE results ever recorded since the inception of the programme have been under Mr. Owusu Achiaw’s administration.
With the introduction of the WASSCE in the last 2 years, Prempeh College has not recorded an A in the English Language.
In 2007 for example out of 610 students, 459 students (candidates) had C4, C5, C6, D7, E8 and F9. One student and the best student for that matter had 7As but was denied admission to the University of Ghana Business School because he had C4 in English Language. Many of our students were denied admission to the medical schools, Bachelor of Commerce etc because of the English Language problems. Those who made it to the medical schools had the luck of the Nov/Dec private exam.
Prempeh College as we all know is a science school but the least said about Biology and Integrated Science the better. Prempeh’s results compared to Wesley Girl’s and Presec percentage-wise is nothing to write home about. Books students and teachers think and know are “error-possessed” are given out to them. A classical example is the Approachers Series which students and masters have resisted persistently but because of the headmasters illegal business dealings with the publishers (Mr. A.K Obeng) who even goes as far as buying a car for the headmaster to curb him from replacing his books with the best in town.
The books are literally forced down the throats of the students. The costs of these books which are illegally put on the students’ bill against their wish are 50% higher than their market value in town. The school library has been shut down for some months now. Where do students go to make reference then? Are the students not been billed with the use of the library? Students can no more make research into any subject that they are taught.
In our modern day of technology and with the spring of e-library in Ghana, Prempeh College, a reputable institution as we all know cannot boast of one. The internet is not even working so I think we do not have to talk about e-library. Meanwhile students are billed 1 cedi for internet facilities.
Last two terms, the form twos did not have the privilege to be taught English. They had no teacher to teach them the whole year though our institution can boast of not less than 7 English tutors. The headmaster should come out and tell us about the major academic feat he has achieved during his administration at Prempeh College.
HEADMASTER AND SCHOOL FUNDS
Prempeh College’s fees are the highest throughout the country as far as 2nd cycle institutions are concerned. Students bill are inflated with books and other items that are not allowed to be on the bill by GES policies. We want the Headmaster to explain to us how donations and internally generated funds other than government subsidy and fees are accounted for. The Prempeh College Old boys have contributed immensely to the ascendancy of the school. Old boys collectively and individually finance projects. A classic case is that of the Asthma Foundation. The Headmaster should tell us how Snr Dr Kwabena Danso’s $500 endowment fund for the Asthma foundation was utilized?
Another area which needs serious investigation is the $2 million and $350000 from The Japanese Government for infrastructural development and Science Resource Centre respectively. The Ghana Ambassador to Japan who happens to be an Amanfoo, Dr Adjei Barwuah, class of ’54 and a Freeman House prefect solicited for the funds. Where is the money and what was it used for? Students’ bills are really inflated. This term’s bill has arrears from last term. The students are entitled to know what the arrears are. They are charged with internet facility which they never use. The maintenance of the generator costs 3 cedis on the bill but go to Prempeh College when there is lights out and see for yourself if a generator works. The generator was bought by the PTA during the load shedding days in Ghana. Once when the PTA chairman, passed by the school one evening and realized there was no light, he queried the headmaster about it. To utter surprise, the headmaster said, “ I am not answerable to the PTA nor the old boys.” Come to think of it, these two entities are major stake holders in Prempeh College.
The college’s uniform, a typical Asante Green turns to white after washing it just once. The quality of the green shirt which we are proud of leaves much to be desired. Talk about the amount that students pay for the green-turns-white shirt and you will marvel. There is a new cardigan or pullover in town. A green and yellow cardigan that was billed the students and given out to the class of 2008. Each student was billed 27.5 cedis while the cardigans cost less than half the price.
The college’s entertainment has been cancelled. It is said that, ‘all work and no play make Jack a dull boy.” Our point is that, if entertainment is cancelled, why then should students pay for it?
The Serious Fraud Office and GES audit committee must act on these.
NATIONAL SCIENCE & MATHS QUIZ
Many JSS students and parents made Prempeh College their choice school partly because of the schools excellent performances in the National Science & Maths Quiz. Prempeh College can no longer boast as being one of the best schools because of the continuous dismal performances in the competition and the very recent wallowing defeat to Opoku Ware School in the just ended competition.
The National Science and Maths Quiz which is the envy of all the schools in Ghana is toyed with by the current Headmaster. In 1994, Prempeh College won the trophy. In 1995, we went to the final but lost. In 1996, Prempeh College again won the trophy, These were all made possible under the reign of Snr R.T Sackey, an illustrious headmaster and Amanfoo who had passion for the school. Though he has retired, Mr. R.T Sackey watched every single contest of Prempeh College during the National Science and Maths Quiz competition.
He used to drive with the contestants to Accra when the quiz commences during his administration. This portrayed a higher sense of love, determination and hunger for the success of our school. Mr. Owusu- Achiaw has never ever been in Accra to visit our boys and encourage them in his 6 years as the headmaster. He is proud to even state that he gives the boys 1 cedi as pocket money when they are having the quiz. Last 2 weeks at an Old boys meeting, the headmaster was asked to mention the names of the three boys who represented Prempeh College during the quizzes this year and it was a disaster. He does not know anything about them. He disgraced himself last year at assemble when he called the quiz contestants, Dompreh, Mawuena and Jeffrey to mount the stage and be applauded for placing fourth.
The student body started murmuring and when he asked why he was told the boys had completed school. That is a clear lack of care and concern for the things Amanfoo deem to be precious. The headmaster does not even know his prefects. He gets to know one is a prefect only when the person has the badge on.
The current prefects can testify to that. There are occasions that prefects do not see him for close to one month. Former senior prefect, David Nimoh can also testify to that. As the father of the students, he leaves them and pursues some other business agendas outside the school. This also gives the masters with no one to supervise them a “no-show”.
www.prempeh.org, the college’s website started an inter-house Science and Maths Quiz competition on campus. The programme was launched by Nana Akyempemhene and the Metro Director of Education. With no due regard to the sponsors and organizers of the programme as well as Nana Akyempemhene, the programme stopped 2 weeks after it started. This idea was ‘stolen’ by St Augustine’s College who prepared their form one and two students adequately and won the quiz last year.
The contestants complain of inadequate books, spoilt television to watch previous clips of the quizzes, inadequate tapes of previous contests, a mosquito infested quiz room and no food when they stay on campus to prepare when their mates have completed school and gone home.
Old students have been motivating these boys over the years and have spent substantial amount of money on them when they get to Accra for the quiz competition. When Prempeh College won the quiz in 94 and 96, it was a record which was kept till the early 2000s. Presently, PRESEC have won the contest 4 times while Prempeh still has just past glory to hang on to. Before the headmaster came in, we had reached the finals on countless occasions and on the verge of going for the third. Now, the best that Prempeh ever achieves is semi-final berth.
This is unacceptable and a disgrace to Prempeh College.
SUPERVISION Evening prep is just a joke with no master going around to assist the prep prefects. The teachers do not have the needed motivation to teach the students, 90% of the students are grieving about this Headmaster.
The students do not even see the headmaster to discuss the problems they face as he is always away from school and from morning assembly. His position as the CHASS president makes him care for external matters more than the pertinent internal affairs for which he was chosen as the headmaster of Prempeh College.
Classes do not begin 3 weeks after re-opening as the Headmaster who is to supervise the work of teachers is consistently absent. The zeal and seriousness of the teachers has dwindled. The Prempeh tradition is being dragged in the mud. Roll calls, morning assembly and inspections are things of the past. Even when roll calls are done the culprits are not punished.
Sports and all other discipline are dying out because of the Headmaster’s uncaring attitude towards them. The School Clinic is also a death trap. The college’s environment that used to be a thing of beauty is no more as dirt, rubbish and even cobwebs are seen around.
BREAKDOWN OF DISCIPLINE
Prempeh College Students lately engage themselves in all manner of unspeakable acts both in and outside the school with impunity. About 90 final year students decided not write mock exams simply because they have not prepared and nothing was said about it.
The Headmaster does not have the needed commitment to run the school. He devotes about 80% of his time to private business and CHASS issues. During his tenure of office, standards in all disciplines of the school life have fallen drastically and gradually Prempeh College is becoming an eye-soar.
Under his administration encroachment on school lands has become the order of the day. Examples include the squatters around the school, the Book trust building now a private business, the MTN Mast and various private developers. As we all know, MTN dishes out money to owners of lands where their masts are placed. The headmaster must account for that. Prempeh College students roam about in town with their shirts hanging on. It is rare presently to see a student with the shirt tucked in.
Last year, there was an incident at the Assembly hall during an exam where a confrontation ensued between the headmaster and one of his assistants, Mr. Dwamena. Animosity is the order of the day even among the headmaster and his assistants not to talk about the senior housemasters who have coiled into their shells and making Prempeh College rot in discipline.
PREMPEH COLLEGE BOARD
The inactivity and ineffectiveness of the school’s board has contributed immensely to the bad administration led by the Headmaster. It is a bye law that the Prempeh College Board must meet twice in a term .The constitution for all 2nd cycle schools stipulates that at least a board must meet once a term excluding emergencies meetings .The constitution again states that the chairman of the board must be re-elected annually.
Since the Board does not meet regularly to discuss issues affecting the school, it has been rendered ineffective. Again, the non election of the board chairman annually and the long stay of Rt Rev. Ben Abubakar has also contributed to the ineffectiveness of the board.
The Chairman has very little or no time for the issues of Prempeh College since he chairs almost every board of Methodist established institutions in the Ashanti Region.
WAY FORWARD
ACADEMICS
On academics, we are of the view that the major administrative role that any headmaster should play is to ensure that the right and conducive atmosphere is provided for teaching and learning to take place. This, the headmaster has failed to do. As such, we propose the following should be done without delay:
The board of governors, PTA and the school management committee should make sure that all activities concerning teaching and learning are evaluated. In doing so, we recommend that there should be assessments of all housemasters and in particular the senior house master should be changed.
It is a known fact that quality education depends on quality teachers. Much as we appreciate the work of the teachers in the school, we however grieve over the poor performances of the students in English Language, Intergrated science and Mathematics. We therefore propose that there should be a review of the qualifications and competencies of some English teachers in particular.
Both teachers and students have complained about The Integrated Science Books which are published by Approachers Series. The headmaster has not listened to the persistent complaints by both teachers and students. Therefore as a matter of urgency, new and better books should be used in teaching the students Integrated Science.
There should be adequate motivation and preparation towards the National Maths and Science Quiz to prevent any embarrassment like what we suffered at the hands of Opoku Ware this year. New and young hands should given the chance to tutor our boys and selection of contestants should start from Form one as well as the training.
The headmaster should resign and make way for a committed and success-hungry fellow to take over. His resignation is the utmost and certain solution to the downfall of the college. “As the head is sick, so is the body,” they say.
FINANCES
We want the Serious Fraud Office and GES to conduct a thorough audit of the school’s accounts department over the past 6 years that Mr. Owusu Achiaw has been the headmaster of Prempeh College. We want to know as a matter of public interest how the headmaster was able to build a house at Ahenema Kokoben within the years that he has been the headmaster of Prempeh College and the fleet of cars he has acquired. Our analysis is based on his annual salary as headmaster. The headmaster should also account for the $2million development package from the Japanese government.
Signed
Ebenezer Wireko K. A. Gyimah-Mensah …………….. (Amanfoo National Youth Co-ordinator) ……………………… Okyeame Sarfo …………………..
