The Nsein Senior High School in the Nzema-East Municipality has been restored to its former name, Kwame Nkrumah Senior High School, in honour of the first President of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who established the school.
The School, which was originally christened Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah Secondary School, and later changed to Axim Secondary School, before its current name, was established on January 19, 1960, with nine students.
The move followed the ratification of a Charter with the Nsein Old Students Association (NOSA) and the Paramount Chief of Nsein Traditional Area, AwulaeAgyevi Kwame and the government.
The inauguration, which coincided with the climax of the annual Kundum festival of Lower Town Axim and Nsein Traditional Area, was used to commemorate and glorify the 115th birthday celebrations of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, for his pioneering role in quality education delivery in the country.
Speaking on the theme: “Honouring Our National Heroes and Heroines: Inspiring Current and Future Generations to Carry Forward, Their Legacy”, a member of the Council of State, Professor Ato Essuman, asked people in the area to reflect on the vision, courage, selflessness, will and determination of Dr Kwame Nkrumah to succeed in whatever endeavour they pursue.
He said Ghana’s decision to honour Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah by observing his birthday as a national holiday was a laudable one, as we are reminded of the impact a single individual could have on the course of history.
Prof Essuman lauded the extraordinary contributions of Dr Nkrumah to society as “he displayed courage and selflessness in fighting for a cause greater than himself”.
The Paramount Chief of the Nsein Traditional Area, AwulaeAgyevi Kwame, said it had become necessary to change the name of the school to its original name, which was changed after the 1966 coup to glorify and honour Kwame Nkrumah.
He said the School is old and its existing infrastructure is overused and appealed to the government to turn her attention to the school.
AwulaeAgyevi Kwame also appealed to the government to expand the school on a one-mile land to make it Kwame Nkrumah University College of Agriculture.
The Principal of the School, Mr Isaac Sowah Kumah, expressed profound gratitude to the Nsein Old Students Association and the Paramount Chief of Nsein Traditional Area, for their role in helping to restore the name of the School.
He said, “the onus now lies on the School to work to justify the restored name”.
Mr Kumah used the occasion to appeal for more staff members in the Science, Mathematics, English and Visual Arts subjects to augment the staff strength.
He said the school was in dire need of computers for practical lessons, as the first batch of ICT students would be writing their first examination next year.
The Principal said with the completion of a-15-unit one storey building, the school would accommodate a population of 2,384 to run a single-track system.
Chairman of the Publicity Committee, Mr Joseph Martin, lauded the efforts of NOSA, led by Awulae Agyevi Kwame, to spearhead the move to have the name of the school changed to the original name.
He said NOSA was proud to honour Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah for his greater achievements in the education sector.
Member of Parliament (MP) for Evaloe-Adjomoro Gwira, Mr Kofi Arko NoKoe, used the occasion to appeal to the people to halt illegal mining activities, popularly called galamsey, as it continued to ravage the environment.
Former Member of Parliament for the area and NPP Parliamentary Candidate for the 2024 elections, Madam Catherine Afeku, stressed the need for peaceful elections devoid of any war, fight, or rivalry among political parties.
From P.K. Yankey, Nsein
GNA
