Headmistress of Swedru Senior High School (SWESCO), Mrs Alberta O. Rigg-Stewart has advised students of the school to take their studies seriously and aim at excelling to achieve their goals of pursuing knowledge and skills for a fulfilled future.
She said as students, there were individuals with individual identity and they needed to focus on their academic work since their future depended on the seed they were sowing.
Mrs Rigg-Stewart gave the advise in an interview with the Ghana News Agency prior to the celebration of the School’s 61st anniversary, which will held in the school on February 15th,2020 on the theme: “Free SHS: A scheme for Developing Human Capital through Practical, Scientific and Technological Education”
The event will have Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia as the Special Guest Speaker and Professor Kwesi Yankah, Minister of State in Charge of Tertiary Education as the Guest Speaker.
SWESCO is the first Ghana Education Trust (GET) school established by the first President of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, in 1959.
The mission of the school is to provide quality education and inculcate in students, values that engender good moral character, integrity and empowers them to be responsible citizens after school.
With the motto ‘Semper cum Optimis,’ a Latin expression meaning ‘Always with the Best’, SWESCO has maintained its credible performance particularly in the West African Secondary School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE), making it the best senior high school (SHS) among the eight high schools in the Agona area.
Mrs Rigg-Stewart said school had produced quality human resources in the areas of academia, industry, consultancy, media, politics, health, among others, who were making meaningful contributions to the growth of the country.
She explained that academically, the school had made also significant excelled and even had 76.7 percent of the 2019/2020 students qualified for the tertiary education.
She said the school also emerged as the overall best in the 2019 Ghana Olympiad Science, instituted by the Ghana Education Service under the Schools Education Improvement Project aimed at among others promote teaching and learning of Science, Technology and Mathematics schools.
“The school has also achieved a lot in the areas of sports, culture, poetry recitals, sign language and won some medals in those fields.
She said to sustained the high academic performance and even go higher, the students needed to be encouraged to build their confidence to give off their best and excel in their all their endevours.
The headmistress commended successive governments, old students and the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) for carrying out numerous projects aimed at addressing the infrastructural challenges of the school.
Mrs Rigg-Stewart appealed for the renovation and completion of all ongoing projects, which included bungalows for teachers, dormitories for the girls and boys, classroom buildings, dining hall, which was started by PTA.
“I will also urge the old students to come in their numbers to support and make the anniversary a success.
Mr Emmanuel Acquah Chairman of the anniversary Planning Committee outlined some of week-long activities to mark the day as- prayers to begin the week, Science and Maths Quiz, Staff games, inter houses competition, clean-up, motivational talk, durbar and a thanksgiving service.
Mr Victor Tweneboa an old student and the President of the 1990-year group said the old students were part of the stakeholders of the school and there was the need to promote a close relationship between the school authorities and the past students for the development of the school.
He explained that over the years, the past students had been supportive and would continue to support the growth and development of the school.
He noted that “as old students, we have a major role to play in the growth or of our alma mater” and we will ensure that”.
Mr Tweneboa called on old students to continue supporting the school with the needed infrastructure, learning materials as well as regular visits to motivate and encourage the students to also aspire to useful citizens in future