Opoku Ware Senior High School, one of the best Senior High Schools in Ghana, has marked the 70th Anniversary of its establishment. The event was themed: “Seven Decades of Leadership through Self-Discipline”.
The school, often referred to as OWASS, was named after the great warrior King of Asante, Okatakyie Opoku Ware I, who succeeded and consolidated the gains of his uncle, Opemsuo Osei Tutu I.
Opoku Ware School is a state-run, Catholic Senior High school for boys, located at Santasi, a suburb of Kumasi.
Prominent products of OWASS include; Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, a former
deputy minister of state in the National Democratic Congress government of John Dramani Mahama; Kwamena Ahwoi, the former NDC minister of state; Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, the current Minister of Food and Agriculture; Stephen Amoah, the MP for Nhyiaeso and James Kwesi Appiah, the former head coach of the Ghana Black Stars.
Other notable alumni are George Boakye, the late Chief of Air Staff; Stephen Alan Brobbey, a retired jurist and former Chief Justice of Gambia and justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana; the development economist, former director of the National Development Planning Commission and
erstwhile MP for Wenchi, George Gyan-Baffour; Dr. John Kumah, a deputy minister of finance; Nana Otuo Siriboe, the chairman of the Council of State and Omanhene of the Juaben Traditional Area and Eugene Boakye Antwi, Member of Parliament for Subin.
Among the many dignitaries who graced the grand durbar at the weekend were the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Chairman of the Council of State, Nana Otuo Serebour, some Ministers of State, a retired Supreme Court Judge, Justice Stephen Alan Brobbey, the Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum and a host of others.
Addressing the durbar at the school to climax the anniversary last Saturday, President Nana Akufo-Addo reiterated that no Ghanaian child should be denied second-cycle education, as it is a period in the life of every young person in Ghana, when they begin their journey into adulthood and make lifelong choices and friends.
President Akufo-Addo explained that secondary education is an experience to which no child of school-going age should be denied access.
The President also affirmed that the Free Senior High School concept is working and making a great impact on the nation’s education.
He explained that the systematic and consistent improvement in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results in the country over the past six years, attest to the impact being made by the FSHS initiative in the nation’s education.
“The policy has indeed been facing some challenges but that does not mean that the gains made by the policy should be pushed under the carpet”, adding that “beneficiaries of the policy has increased from 800,000 in 2017 to 1.3 million students to date, is another landmark
associated with the policy”, he said.
The President assured that despite the economic challenges confronting the nation, everything possible would be done to find lasting solutions and to enable many Ghanaian children to get the opportunity to benefit from the policy.
President Akufo-Addo also indicated that the 2022 results of the WASSCE were the best results ever for the past eight years and pledged to donate more funding to the policy for many Ghanaian children to attain the FSHS initiative.
“Surely, there can no longer be any controversy about the validity of the Policy if the consequential measure, it is working and working well,” the President said.
In response to a request by the headmaster and the School Prefect of Opoku Ware SHS, President Akufo-Addo pledged that his government will give a befitting 70th birthday present to the school and hinted that a new administrative block would be appropriate.
“The Office of the President will also help to give an appropriate birthday gift. I think a new administration block will be such a gift,” Nana Akufo-Addo said.
The Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum praised President Akufo-Addo for his commitment towards revamping the nation’s education system.
He pledged to work extra hard towards sustaining the gains made in the education sector towards transforming the nation’s economy through education.
Dr. Adutwum appealed to all stakeholders in the nation’s education to continue working hard to ensure that the country attains the best education for its development.
Rev. Fr. Stephen Owusu Sekyere, Headmaster of Opoku Ware School, commended the government for providing infrastructure and other forms of support to the school.
He also lauded the efforts of the Old students, staff and management of the school for their roles in uplifting the image and gains made by the school and also promised to redouble his effort towards chalking more laurels.
