"There were eight Secondary schools in the Gold Coast at that time including Prempeh College and the heads of those schools decided to hold a common entrance exam with the applicants stating their preferences for schools. An advertisement was placed and we received 20,000 applications for about 800 places. After the examination and interviews, the successful students were allocated to the different schools on the basis of their preferences." Shown here are the students Prempeh College got. The Headmaster with his wife and his deputy Mr. Bannerman (next to Mrs. Pearson) and the 1949 Form 1 (pioneer class). The pupils paid tuition fees of about £100 p.a. which included food, accommodation, clothing and textbooks as well as the tuition itself.

The Headmaster (and Keith), Mr. Bannerman (and his son) and the pupils the following year. The Headmaster said the following about the boys: "I tried to encourage the students to be committed to their studies and by combining the practical subjects with the academic, students were able to see the relevance of their studies both to their own lives and future employment and also to their country."

Two of the pioneer staff members

His Majesty came to check out the school. He brought the stool which would symbolise the school’s membership of the Asante Confederacy. It is the only school that enjoys such a status, and that explains why Prempeh is the most envied school. Its royal heritage is only matched by Eton - The Kings College of England, which was founded by King Henry in 1440 AD.

In this photo, the Headmaster addresses the sharply-dressed boys. He made church service optional for the boys; those who didn't feel going to the Assembly Hall during Church Service didn't have to. Even atheists would have been allowed to practice their belief. "The school was run on a Christian basis but was open to people of all faiths and none. There was always a Sunday evening service which was taken by members of staff or visitors to the school. Attendance was optional but all the boys chose to attend as well as some members of the public from Kumasi," the first Headmaster wrote. How then did church service evolve to become a mandatory affair over the years? Assistant Headmaster, Mr. C.J. Bannerman, who was a gifted pianist, is seen playing the piano at Assembly. Which is why it is not surprising that the pioneer Assistan Headmaster's son, Alfred C. Bannerman, went on to achieve international fame with Osibisa and his own band BOOMBAYA.

A game we never get defeated in. It is rarely possible to defeat a Prempeh table tennis star in the game. We have not lost in the Inter-Schools competition in decades.

Mrs. Pearson also taught at the school. Though she was paid by the government, the money had to be returned because the wives of missionaries were not allowed to be paid. So the family lived on her husband's salary of £350 per anum.

The Presbyterian and Methodist churches helped recruit teachers.