June 20, 2004: Inspection at Sofoline - a legendary tradition.

Every Saturday, Prempeh students are subject to both internal (intra-house) and external (inter-house) inspection. All houses are assigned to specific areas of the campus where the members are to clean and be awarded points for the neatness. External inspectors (made up of the Prefects and a master) inspect all areas and award points to the houses. Points of each week's inspections are counted at the end of the term and the winning house is awarded The Efficiency Trophy.

The external inspector Ja Rule going around with the representatives of the various houses on Saturday, June 12, 2004. Each House has its Prefect reprentative accompany the external inspector on the rounds to speak for the House. There are usually heated arguments and debates regarding neatness of certain places. Being a representative on the rounds requires tact because one must be able to plead for more points or fewer point deductions from the Inspector, who may prove very uncompromising. Furthermore, the opposing representatives of the other houses have the tendency to direct the Inspector to their opponents' shortcomings. That is, a Ramseyer House representative may draw the Inspector's attention to dust on a window assigned to Pearson House. The Pearson representative must be able to convince the Inspector that the dust does not exist at all or find some other means to get the master to ignore those remarks. The Pearsonian may avenge by finding a fault with Ramseyer's work performance or seek redemption by weakening other Houses. Because some representatives have been accused in the past of placing evidence of dirt in the path of their opponents in an attempt to weaken them, each representative must be very vigilant on the rounds and look out for some eventualities that may suddenly appear on the road. In this picture, one Prefect is seen making an appeal for a smaller point deduction while his opponents are looking in to ensure that his request isn't granted.

This photo is definitely a classic. A classic Prempeh tradition that has been passed on from generation to generation has finally been recorded by a camera. One representative is seriously bargaining and arguing for his House. Regardless of the protests and appeals by the 9 House prefects, the Inspector has the final word. A good inspector is unmoved by all such persuasions and he goes with his own judgement. But nothing raises the degree of arguments and frustrations more than vacillation or weakness in an inspector.

People are waiting for the external inspector to arrive on Saturday, June 12, 2004. The result of each Saturday's inspections are annouced by House Prefects during roll-call at 5:30 pm.

Prof. Kupo, the internal inspector doing the internal inspection at Opoku Ware house. Looking on is their houisemaster, popularly known as O.D.

Opoku Ware house

Freeman boys are anxiously waiting for the arrival of the Inspector in freeman house

Freeman - still waiting.

Freeman students taking a picture after the inspector had left their house.

Here at Opoku Ware, the Inspector was shocked to find that one student's bed was not dressed. The boys were nervous when the inspector was asking why the bed wasn't made. They knew at this time that they had lost vital marks.

This is Butler house getting inspected.

The students after inspection in Freeman. The boy in the brown trouser is Agyemang Duah, the school's great striker (number 9 of the school team). The dark fellow next to him is Kwame Nkrumah, a GUNSA executive (and not the first President of Ghana).

The Inspector is in Butler House