...Headmaster's lack of academic passion continually hurts Prempeh
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Before embarking on a journey to Accra to represent Prempeh in this year's national Science & Maths Quiz competition,
Prempeh's contestants made a bet on campus with fellow students that 1) Headmaster Owusu-Achiaw will not
show up in Accra to watch the prestigious science competition, and 2) he will opt for the national Milo football competition
which was scheduled for Sunyani at the same time, or he will only come to Accra to see the boys if the Milo football is postponed and ONLY if the
quiz contestants make it to the final.
The bet was huge. Several Prempeh boys sided with the contestants. Interestingly, no student bet against the quiz team because they all believe Mr.
Owusu-Achiaw is very passionless when it comes to matters relating to academics.
Prempeh's 9th Headmaster, Mr. Owusu-Achiaw
And amazingly, one hundred percent of all the students who made this bet became vindicated for not trusting the headmaster in academic matters
principally because all the predictions proved stunningly accurate.
We relayed information about the bet to the Headmaster before the competition started, hoping that a man who cherishes his reputation could at least
devise a "surprise" plan that would prove contrary to his critics' expectations.
But just like Tantalus,
condemned in Hades to stand chin-deep in lake surrounded by fruit branches, only for the water and food to recede
upon each attempt to eat or drink, so could Mr. Owusu-Achiaw not overcome his deep, deep weakness of academic apathy for once and shame his detractors.
So it emerged that anytime the Headmaster called the contestants in Accra to urge them "to fight harder," the boys listened to his
words grudgingly and turned to us and asked, "Why is this man
calling us? Why is he even calling?"
It was only after much hesitation and repeated pleadings from our prempeh.org team that the boys even agreed to take the Headmaster's calls.
At one time when the headmaster was speaking on the phone to one contestant, another was heard in the background urging the team mate to hang up on him.
Which Headmaster in this country is shunned by his own pupils?
The Headmaster's reason for following the football and sports programs more than the quiz program is "because the footballers always bring the trophy
or reach the final, while the quiz contestants never win anything."
The question that we are asking is, is it not the job of a Headmaster to inspire students to do well when they are not winning
academic honours? Should a Headmaster only show up when there is a trophy to pick up? Couldn't this headmaster inspire the science contestants
to win so as to establish an important legacy and name for himself?
In a hall of fame of myopic philosophies, this view of the Headmaster should rank above all others. If teachers
require an excellent student performance in order to feel compelled to help, then there will be little need to enter the classroom to teach
in the first place.
Our Board of Governors and stakeholders should also take this into consideration when hiring the next Prempeh headmaster. A series of rigorous interviews
should be conducted when searching for a future Headmaster so that all backward ideologies and philosophies will be uncovered. They shouldn't allow GES to just just send
"any man" to the college.
