ADDRESS BY MR.R.T.SACKEY, B.A., DIP.ED, HEADMASTER OF PREMPEH COLLEGE AT THE
40TH ANNIVERSARY SPEECH AND PRIZE-GIVING DAY OF THE SCHOOL, SATURDAY 9TH
DECEMBER 1989.
Mr. Charman, your Excellency the PNDC Secretary for Ashanti, Otumfuo
Asantehene our Guest of Honour, your Excellency Kojo Amoo-Gottfried,
Guest Speaker and Director General of the Ghana Education Service, Nananom,
distinguished guests, I feel very grateful to God to be alive to witness
the celebration of the 40th birthday of our alma mater, mother Prempeh.
Forty years ago this year, Prempeh College was officially opened by
Otumfuo the Asantehene, Nana Sir Osei Agyeman Prempeh II. The opening
ceremony which took place in open air symbolized a fruitful co-operation
between the Kumasi Divisional Council, the Methodist and Presbyterian
churches and the central government. Mayor C.O.Butler, the chief
commissioner of Ashanti, addressing some 400 guest at the ceremony said:
"There is a great and growing need for training men to take up post of
responsibility not only just as clerks in offices, but in agriculture,
engineering and many other technical appointments on the filling of
which the future development of Ashanti and the Gold Coast depends. This
country is yours and we the British from overseas are only here to help
you ultimately administer the country yourselves, but you can never be
independent of outside help until you yourself can provide
agriculturers, engineers, teachers, technicians and tradesmen who can
develop the natural resources of your country.T he ball is at your feet,
the goal is straight ahead, play the game and you are bound to win."
There are certain excellencies of character to which our attention may
be drawn, in 1940 Otumfuo Nana sir Osei Agyeman Prempeh II wanting another
Achimota for ashanti, asked no less a person than his own heir apparent
Nana Poku school to build it. Nana Poku imbued with unexampled humility
painfully and assiduously did the field work himself. He could have put
his hands in his pocket by ordering lesser men to do it. During the
survey exercise something happened, it must be recalled that the wooden
structure you find sprawling to the brigade quarters were built for a
special military hospital serving the royal west African frontier force.
"Hey surveyor what the hell are you doing?" yelled some tall army
colonels. Nana Poku displaying humility and masculine bravery, did not
mind them but continued the assignment his uncle had given him. Then came
the soldiers to Nana Poku to confront him. Whereupon, he explained that
the Otumfuo had ordered him to do that job. Quickly the army officers
drove to Otumfuo who made it clear to them that he had embarked that
land for a first class school. Otumfuo Osei Agyeman Prempeh embedded
humility and spiritual bond existing between us human and God by
involving the Methodist and Presbyterian churches actively in the
foundation and running of Prempeh College, and so they brought the best
masters from PRESEC AND MFANTSIPIM to start the school headed by a
headmaster who was very tough on discipline. Otumfuo mo! Wo aye bi. Otumfuo
wo nananom besua wo ahobrasee.
Our alma mater, mother Prempeh is 40. It is a widespread assumption that
work gets harder after 40, to some life begins at 40, to others work gets
dramatically easier after 50. The responsibilities may be heavier, but
after 40 you should be valued for your experience, know-how and
judgement. Most of the major rewards of success tend to accumulate after
the age of 40, if you do the right things before that watershed
birthday. Amanfuo and my dear students, has mother Prempeh done the right
things? Have we done what we should do before 40? I say yes, Prempeh College
has developed her own style firmly-Presbyterian discipline, we have been
trained by mother Prempeh to put our emotional life in order. How we
learn that all difficulties can't be avoided and that one has to rise
above them, and so we work hard and make our super mock superfluous.
We know our weaknesses and strength, we saw quickly during the period
1980-84 that our school was falling on evil days and quickly put all
hands on deck to put things right. Through humitlity, mother Prempeh
teaches us that knowing who you are and what you are good at is critical
for success. Sometimes Amanfoo appear wishy-washy and are criticized for
wanting to see both sides of a question, but I say this is a valuable
strength mother Prempeh has inculcated into us, mother Prempeh has
trained us to put enough away so that we have a safety net. We have our
friends--Presec, Achimota, Mfantisipim schools we can turn to when we have
problems.
Mother prempeh has taught us to delegate to pick the right people
wherever we are and trust them, we have learnt when to keep our mouth
shut because we have been made aware that a reputation for keeping
secrets outweighs the popularity that spreading gossip may win us. Above
all we have been trained to be loyal. Indeed Prempeh College boys have
established the reputation for solid 100 percent loyalty where they are,
the army, police, navy, public service, teaching, etc. As for our sense of
humour, it can't be gainsaid, and so now that we are 40 life begins with
great and invaluable advantages and blessings. Some Achimotans tease
us "Prempeh College has refused to grow." The Secretary for Education
looking at our uncompleted library complex we started in 1974 and the
number of Prempeh Old Boys in key positions past and present concluded
at our speech day in 1985 "Prempeh you have not won," but I say without
equivocation or mental reservation of any kind that from the very
commendable attention Amanfoo both at home and abroad have given to
appeals for funds to bring mother Prempeh back to its glory, I am led
to hope that the new fire of patriotism lit by mother Prempeh has made
an indelible imprint in our hearts.
We have been trying to mend our academic fences since 1985 and its
gratifying to note that Prempeh College the school of superlatives is
the only school which, to quote the Senior Deputy Registrar, has produced
each year a winner for the WAEC excellence prize. We have the high-flier,
we need to improve the overall results. This year we presented 181
candidates for the O'level, 58 had grade 1 including 9 distinctions, grade 2,
35; grade 3, 46; and G.C.E 37. And for the A'levels 73 out of 101 we presented
qualified for university admissions. This year too we have 3 possible
NATIONAL AWARD WINNERS, they are as follows:
1)KYEREMANTENG BENJAMIN
english language1, french 1, geography 1, economics 1, maths 1, commerece
1, accounting 1, (7 ones)
2)APPIAH NUAMAH
English 1, french 1, geography 1, maths 1, add math's
1, physics 1, chemistry 1 (7 ones)
3)APPIAH KWADWOA A.TWUMASI
English 1, french 1, geograpphy 1, maths 1, physic 1, chemisrty 1 (6 ones)
To stay up with the key schools in the south we need bungalows and
flats to attract good masters,1 6 of our master don't have
accomodation, almost all the stuff bungalows unfortunately didn't taste
the government renovations blessings because we were given only one
contracter.
HON Regional secretary, we need two additional contractors and
infrastructure; facilities-wise the other key schools in the south are far
ahead of us. Have we refused to grow? Or cruel fate has hindered our
growth? This is a challenge to AMANFOO. I know we shall overcome.
Mr. Chairman, we continue to experience the typical Presbyterian boarding
school life here. Most of what we really need to know about how to live
and what to do and what to learn at school are reinforced here in
Prempeh and so wisdom is learnt right from here and not at the
university: sharing with others, play fair... don't hit people, don't spin
around, put things back where you found them. Don't cheat, don't copy in
exams, clean up your own mess, don't put litter anywhere. Don't take things
that aren't yours, say sorry when you hurt or offend somebody. Wash your
hands before eating, speak the truth. Learn a bit, think a bit, pray to God
everyday. All work and no play makes jack a dull boy, all these are
reinforced by humility, and so when Prempeh students go out into the
world they have already learnt how to hold hands and stick together.
Mr. Chairman, beloved-in-christ, the record of achievements by the past
students of Prempeh College in the service of Ghana fulfills the role
that Major C.O. Butler had hinted in his address at the opening ceremony
in February 1949. These young men are to be found in responsible
positions throughout the public service of Ghana, abroad and the United
Nations. They serve as secretaries of state, administrators, university
lectures and school masters, engineers, doctors, lawyers, agriculturist, private
businessmenn, they are everywhere.
Its now on record that by 1976 Prempeh College had sent to the medical schools of Ghana more students than any
other individual school had done.
Mr. Chairman, distinguished guest, those who drink water from a well must not forget those who dug it.
We thank the government for the morden science equipment they have provided
us, nor have we forgotten the agricultural science equipment and vital
textbooks. To amanfoo who donated, pledged and helped to make the 40th anniversary
glorious I say well done, lets us prize what we have, for to prize
something when you have it is joy and thanksgiving. We thank the Tema St.
Paul's Methodist Church for their wonderful donation of 100 000 00 cedis. We've compiled
a list of donations and we are thankful for the valuable contributions made by all those who
serve the school in their several capacities: the Chairman and members of
the board of governors, the teaching and administrative staffs, the
kitchen staff, labourers and all those who look after other vital areas of
this school.
At this juncture let me salute the founding fathers and all
past headmasters of this great school. Thank you very much.
