Prempeh, "a mystery wrapped in an enigma"? - a visitor's perspective 2001.
By Dr. Kofi Busia
"For everything under the heavens, there is a season….." and so having lived in the UK for18 years during which period the writer had never been to Ghana, the time was ripe for a well-deserved visit. This visit was even more pertinent in the light of the unprecedented air of freedom our country appeared to be enjoying, the Homecoming Summit as well as an urgent need to see my ageing parents.
And so on the 17th of July 2001, together with my children, I embarked on what was to be an ecstatic and emotional homecoming to the motherland. Incidentally, through the arrangement of my long-time friend from Prempeh, Mr Kennedy Fosu (Killer), now "domiciled" in the UK, we were met on arrival by Mr Mawuku of G'berg fame, an executive officer of Ghana Airways and my goodness, what a VIPs' treatment we were given! Long live the Prempeh fraternity!!
Mrs Theresa Fosu (nee Osei Asibey), who was also at the airport to meet us found the loyalty of Prempeh boys and hence the assistance offered by Mawuku just astounding! Amanfoo know their own she murmured adoringly! In fact she was to have the real taste of "prempehitis" when she accompanied me to the opening day of the Homecoming Summit. By some inexplicable circumstances, on our arrival at the conference centre the first familiar face we were to encounter was no other than that of the great Aboah Samuel (Butler) of the 1979 sixth-form graduating class-without doubt, the most vociferous Amanfoo of his day. On hearing that my hostess was married to an Amanfoo, the "nkyahene" turned to her and screamed "me nua baa, w'aye adee; w'ani abue", i.e. "my sister well done; you are very wise/sensible", amidst profuse laughter! At the Homecoming Summit, I also met a number of Amanfoo, notably, Prof. Akosah, Dr. Adu Manyah, Snrs Kofi Sarpong, Dapaah; and Boamah O.B. of G'berg most of whom had probably returned from the States. On each of these encounters, my hostess seemed unmistakeably overawed by the extraordinary confidence and "big-shortism" of our boys. I am convinced she could not believe her luck in marrying an Amanfoo. God bless all Amanfowaa as they labour to produce the replicas of such impeccable breed!!
With the Homecoming Summit over, and countless meetings with ministers of state, visits to the University of Ghana, Noguchi Memorial Centre for Medical Research and the Mampong Centre for Research into Plant medicine behind me, it was now time to go to the once proud Garden City of Ghana, Kumasi. This was where the rest of the holidays would be spent. Obviously, Prempeh College was high on the list of the places of interest I intended taking my children.
It is worthy of note that on the first of several visits I paid to Prempeh, the first person I was to meet immediately I alighted from my car was the great Mr Sekyere (Sadam), Headmaster of Prempeh College, a man I had known going back several years. Quite characteristically, he recognised me instantly, indicating his undisguised admiration of the progress yours sincerely was making in the world of academia. Since the great man was busy that day co-ordinating the SSS science exams, an appointment had to be made for an update of the school's progress.
I therefore took the opportunity to walk around the campus to enjoy the beautiful scenery of this most prestigious of African secondary schools. My walkabout took me to the classrooms, the dormitories, library, computer centre, and conference centre and staff bungalows. I saw in all their glory, the orchard, the immaculate lawns, beautiful flowers and trees exuding their medicinal aroma, the imposing gate designed in the form of the stool that welcomes you as you enter the school from Sofoline, and the many busts of Prempeh luminaries that adorn strategic positions of the campus. Beauty of beauties; the kind of beauty that may have caused the great Arab scientist Abah Ullah to proclaim: "all the atoms and molecules of the universe Oh! My Lord, bear witness to your sovereignty and power, Your Majesty".
As I walked down "memory lane", the thought of the many distinguished Amanfoo, who had walked this same path before dawned on me and suddenly, I was overcome with emotion! Through its doors have passed a president, ministers of state, distinguished scientists, doctors, lawyers, military personnel, kings, men of commerce; the list is endless! Yes, this was the King's College, a school established with a strong christian foundation to show the importance of religion in formal education and the joy of the communion of men in the pursuit of knowledge.
Clearly a great deal of thought must have gone into the design of the Prempeh campus-rich flora, beautifully laid paths and streets, classroom blocks and dormitories strategically positioned in the shape of the stool, the design of which has no parallel in the country-great architecture befitting the status of a great institution! This indeed was Prempeh College-an institution singularly unsuited to truancy, with a deep-rooted religious and academic structure, a strong residue of British public school tradition, and a gentle and incurably confident way of life.
On my rounds, I also met with staff both old and new, notably Snr Prekoh, elder brother of the merchant banker Nimo Preko (OT), the Assistant Headmaster Mr Kodua, the old bookshop keeper, some familiar pantry boys and watchmen and many new staff. At last, I had an outsider's view of the people's school and admittedly the experience was overwhelming to say the least!
What therefore was behind Prempeh's greatness? Was this much-repeated greatness a myth, a farcical propaganda or a natural occurrence? Was the romanticism of the Prempeh campus a contributory factor to the school's greatness? How has the school achieved so much in its relatively short existence? The questions that raged through my mind were countless.
At the end of my visit, I was more convinced than ever before that Prempeh is undoubtedly one of the greatest and most prestigious secondary institutions on the continent of Africa and that a myriad of factors have contributed to its phenomenal success!
The greatness of Prempeh in my opinion stems from its solid foundations. The founding fathers laid a strong basis for discipline and hard work, and were as much concerned with satisfying the spiritual needs of the students as well as the provision of the highest form of temporal education. Prempeh, like all the great secondary schools of Ghana always attracts some of the most talented students, and it is true to say that Amanfoo are uniquely disciplined, very hard working, motivated, studious, conscientious and extremely resilient and confident - confidence which sometimes borders on pomposity. It is an undeniable fact that Prempeh has one of the finest academic records among Ghanaian secondary schools, but it is also true to say that not all Amanfoo graduate with out-of-this-world grades. In fact the vast majority of distinguished Amanfoo, like Einstein arguably the greatest scientist of all time, were not the best students in their day. Nevertheless, the fascinating aspect of the school that perhaps stands out, as the hallmark of true greatness is that even her less able students can go on to achieve greater heights if they set their minds to it. The average Amanfoo can compete with the very best anywhere in the world. As they say "the Prempconian may be down but not out".
Successive headmasters, with each adding their own values and beliefs, have consolidated the tradition established by the founding fathers. However, for the purpose of this piece, I can only comment on the Sadam era as seen from the eyes of staff, students both old and new and interested groups. It is widely acknowledged that the Sadam man has worked assiduously to maintain the high academic standards of the school and embarked on massive construction and renovation projects. Speech and Prize-giving days, which were a rarity some years back, are now held annually. There is also a noticeable high level of discipline on the campus, something which everybody I spoke to admitted. Today Prempeh ranks among the top three secondary schools in the country and has maintained its dominance in the Ashanti region.
Sadam was as jovial and chirpy as ever when we finally met in his air-conditioned office. We talked about a range of subjects including the Prempeh website and the phenomenal success of Prempeh boys across the globe. I was shown current records of examination performances and updated on ongoing development projects, notably the Opoku Ware dormitory and new classroom blocks, the Science Resource Centre, the Computer Centre, the impressive library and plans to improve staff accommodation.
When I emerged from his office, what struck me most was the derelict state of the headmaster's bungalow, which appeared uninhabited. I was also surprised by the deplorable state of the wooden houses, which still accommodate some ancillary staff. To say that those structures are a blot on the beautiful scenery of Prempeh will be an understatement! They reminded me of what England's Prince Charles once described as "a monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved friend". I believe the vast majority of Amanfoo will agree with me that Prempeh owes much of its greatness to the hard work of these unsung heroes, some of whom have served the school for over 20 years. They deserve a reasonably decent accommodation - in fact a decent quality of life! Old Students Associations across the globe take note!!
How does the Prempeh of today compare with or differ from the Prempeh I experienced? The academic standing remains high but as a result of the JSS/SSS system it is difficult to make a fair comparison. The student population now runs into some 1700, with the students being relatively younger than before. With regard to the atmosphere, I sensed a feeling of disquiet among some members of the teaching staff; a feeling which may be likened to perhaps an unspoken reign of terror from above! Some members of staff as well as students were unanimous in their appreciation of the school's examination performances, but felt that the "big brother" atmosphere is destructive, de-motivating and generating a culture of silence, which could be detrimental to the future of the great school. But who was behind this "gestapo" conundrum? Strangely enough, no one was prepared to talk about it as in the words of one person "Prempeh is a gold mine and no one dares risk losing their position here by speaking out". In short, the present day Amanfoo seem to find the status quo too stifling, autocratic and seriously counter-productive.
I wish to say that if this feeling was widespread then it signals imminent danger for the school, for I believe in any society where freedom of expression is restricted, the people are often characterised by rumour mongering, doubts and baseless fear. The products of these systems tend to be very sycophantic, fearful of change, and when given leadership roles lack ideas and vision. It must be borne in mind that the greatness of a school is not only measured by academic and sporting success, but also by the prevalence of an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity, a transparent display of guided democracy, and participatory involvement of both staff and students in its day-to-day administration. The lessons of history tell us that any institution founded on fear is bound to crumble!
Interestingly, some non-Amanfoo I met off-campus, (the KNUST, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, and the various ministries to be precise), were of the view that the Prempeh system works because of the unqualified loyalty of both staff and students. They argued that whereas this ethos may have been successful in breeding bookish, academically confident and patriotic individuals, it has the disadvantage of creating conservatism, false elitism and robotic sycophants. According to these people, Prempconians are often perceived as anti-change, anti-social, and too "diplo" to the extent of sometimes being aloof, insensitive and unambitious!
If what I knew and witnessed was anything to go by then I am reluctant to identify with these sentiments. In fact even if they were entirely true, from my own experience, I can say honestly without reservation that the vast majority of Amanfoo are honest, decent, morally upright and law-abiding individuals, who never lose their Prempeh values wherever they may be and are as a result shining in their respective fields around the world. I am pleased to say these attributes still characterise most Amanfoo I met on my fact-finding mission both on and off campus.
Nevertheless, although Prempeh is a phenomenally successful institution and will continue to be so for many years to come, she needs to evolve systems that are adapted to her unique circumstances and yet reflect the democratic ideals of the 21st century.
As I left the Prempeh campus, crossed the Sofoline road to catch a taxi, I looked back at the old school, and was filled with boundless gratitude on the one hand, and a sudden realisation of the abject deprivation of market women and men a few metres away, on the other! But at least my Prempeh experience had deepened my understanding of the harsh realities of our country, and opened to me a new world of adventure, tolerance and appreciation of the Ghanaian situation - "poverty in the land of plenty".
Long live Prempeh College!!!
The author is a member of the 1980 sixth-form Graduating Class who served as the Assistant Dining Hall Prefect, in the Antwi S.L regime, working alongside the great Archimedes, Abrokwa A.D., Bonsu O.A. (Pasha) and Kwame Osei-Wusu. It was during this period that a potential student demonstration was averted, leading to the forcible transfer of the school's two matrons and the subsequent establishment of the first Student Representative Council. Pearson was his house.
