No Ghanaian child should be denied secondary school education - Akufo Addo

President Akufo-Addo has stated that no Ghanaian child should be denied senior secondary school education, indicating that it is a period in the life of every young Ghanaian child where they begin their journey into adulthood and make life-long choices and friends.

Speaking at the 70th-anniversary celebration of the Opoku Ware senior high school, in the Ashanti Region, on Saturday 3 December 2022, President Akufo-Addo said secondary education is an experience that no child of school-going age, should be denied thereof.

“Senior High School is an exciting period in every young person’s life. Apart from what we all take from our parents in our home, most of what goes into fashioning our outlook in life come from the schools we attend.

“It is the time we learn most of the things that we use in our lives. It is often the place where life-long friendships are formed and an exciting time of learning new things” President Akufo-Addo said.

“It is an experience that we must not deprive any young child whether from Kumasi, Tamale, Keta or Axim, from having” the President added.

Urgent need

Emphasizing his point, President Akufo-Addo explained that “if we [Ghanaians] are to realize in our time, the words of the theme of this [Opoku Ware 70th] anniversary celebration, “seven decades of leadership through self-discipline” then we have a collective responsibility to help guarantee access to quality education for all the youth of our country”.

“When we do this, then we can now be confident of achieving the vision of a progressive and prosperous Ghana which animated the struggles for freedom and independence of our forebears for which some paid the ultimate price” President Akufo-Addo said.

“We must have the belief that our nation can make its unique contribution to the growth of world civilization and be able to generate dignified standards of living for the masses of her people and build a Ghana beyond aid” he further noted.

Guaranteeing education

History and the experiences of developed nations according to President Akufo-Addo, “have shown us that the most efficient way to create a society of opportunity and thereby guarantee the future of our nation is by investing in education and skills training of our youth”.

“This is because it is the people of Ghana, Ghanaians like you and I, and especially the youth of today who are going to build Ghana. Without an educated populace, we cannot transition from the status of a developing to a developed nation” President Akufo-Addo postulated.

In his address, and response to a request by the headmaster and school prefect of Opoku Ware senior high school, President Akufo-Addo pledged that his government will give the school, a befitting 70th birthday present.

“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” President Akufo-Addo said.

Brief about OWASS

Opoku Ware School often referred to as OWASS, is a public Catholic senior high school for boys, located in Santasi, a suburb of Kumasi, which is the capital of the Ashanti region of Ghana

The school offers the country’s flagship three-year Senior High School course. The curriculum of the school consists of core subjects namely: English Language, Integrated Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, ICT, RME and PE and four specialized programmes which are General Science, General Arts, Business and Visual Arts.

Prominent products of OWASS

OWASS can bost several former students who have served in various high positions or are currently serving in positions of influence in Ghana.

Some of these persons are Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, former NDC deputy minister of State, Kwamena Ahwoi, former NDC minister of state, Owusu Afriyie Akoto, the current minister for food and agriculture, Stephen Amoah, member of Parliament for the Nhyiaeso constituency and James Kwesi Appiah, former head coach of the Ghana Black Stars.

The rest are George Boakye, former Chief of Air Staff, Stephen Alan Brobbey, retired jurist; former Chief Justice of the Gambia and justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana, George Gyan-Baffour, John Kumah, deputy minister of finance and Nana Otuo Siriboe, chairman of the Council of State and the Omanhene of the Juaben traditional area.