By Benjamin Makafui Attipoe, Abor

The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Member of Parliament (MP) for the Akatsi South Constituency of the Volta Region, Bernard Ahiafor, has commended the management, staff and students of the Abor Senior High School (ABORSCO) in the Keta Municipality for maintaining what he described as the school’s noted standards since its establishment some sixty (60) years ago.

He also lauded the efforts of all stakeholders including the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) for their diverse roles and contribution to the development of the school over the years.

The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament was speaking at the launching of the diamond jubilee celebration of ABORSCO at Abor.

ABORSCO as it is popularly called was founded on 1st October, 1965 as a Community Private School trough the visionary efforts of the forebears including the chiefs, community leaders as well as the members of the Abor Youth Association (AYA).

The school began with some fifteen (15) students until 1982 when government took over the institution with some fifty-four (54) students and a few teachers. This was when the school transitioned from the then Junior Secondary School (JSS) to the Experiential JSS to kick-start the three (3) year secondary school education programme towards writing the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary (‘O’) Level examination.

The founding fathers of the school included COP J.O.K. Ahianyo, Col. C.H.K. Lodo, Mr. Leonard Torsu, Mr. Victor Atsu Ahedor, Ms. Victoria Atsufui Ahedor, Mr. G.W.K. Kwasikuma, Mr. Daniel Tsigbe, Mr. Samuel Atsu Klutse and Mr. Moses Dumenya, all of blessed memory as well as Mr. Timothy Torsu who graced the occasion.

From such a humble beginning, the school has grown to hit a student enrolment of more than one thousand, six hundred (1,600) students with one hundred and seven (107) teachers as well as twenty-seven (27) non-teaching staff.

The Diamond Jubilee Celebration of the school is under the theme, ’60 Years of Impactful Journey: Providing Transformative Secondary Education through Indigenous Values and 21st Century Skills’.

Its launch brought together several dignitaries from all walks of life including the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and MP for Akatsi South, Hon. Bernard Ahafor who is also an old boy of ABORSCO.

He noted that since the establishment of the school some six (6) decades ago, it has produced notable personalities serving in various fields of endeavour, including academia, business and the arts.

According to the First Deputy Speaker, ABORSCO has instilled in its students the understanding that true wisdom is not found only in books but also in proverbs, storytelling and voices of the elders as well as the collective efforts of working together for the common good of the society.

Ahiafor used the occasion to call for a redirection of the focus of the country’s educational system and the orientation of graduates to enable them use their knowledge and skills to create opportunities for themselves and others as well.

The event was graced by many important personalities including the Regional Minister, Hon. James Gunu, Regional Director of Education, Mr. Francis Yaw Agbemadi, the Municipal Chief Executives (MCEs) for Akatsi South and Keta Municipalities, Daniel Dagba and Wisdom Seade respectively, the Keta Municipal Director of Education, Mr. Gayheart Avudzivi, the Board Chairman of the school, Lawyer Nelson Kporxa as well as the former PTA Chairman and old boy of the school, Torgbui Awusu III of Afife. Also present were some past Heads and teachers including the first Headmaster, Mr. T.K, Gadzekpo.

The Headmaster of the school, Rev. Dr. Seth Agbeyome disclosed that one of the six (6) major challenges facing ABORSCO is lack of teachers’ bungalows to accommodate staff.

According to him, only five (5) of the over one hundred and thirty (130) staff members reside on campus, a situation which affects supervision time and hinders after-school engagements with the students.

The Headmaster announced that as part of efforts to solve part of the acute residential facility challenges, the school in collaboration with its stakeholders is undertaking a two (2) bedroom semi-detached self-help teachers’ bungalow project estimated at some Nine Hundred Thousand Ghana Cedis (Ghc900,000.00).

This, according to Rev. Dr. Agbeyome is programmed for commissioning as part of the Diamond Jubilee project of the school later in the year.

The President of the Old Students Association (ASSOSA), Mr. Raphael Edem Yawlui called on the old students both at home and abroad as well as well-meaning individuals, organizations and philanthropists to support the teachers’ bungalow project for the school. He charged ASSOSA members to judiciously use their year groups to generously contribute towards the successful execution of the project.

The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament who performed the grounds-breaking ceremony for the project with support from the Regional Minister, donated an initial cash of Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis (Ghc50,000.00) towards the building project with a pledge to add another Ghc50,000.00 later on.

ASSOSA members through their year groups are also expected to raise some Four Hundred Thousand Ghana Cedis (Ghc400,000.00) for the teachers’ residential facility project.

The First Deputy Speaker and Regional Minister also performed the unveiling ceremony for the diamond jubilee logo and cloth design to the joy and admiration of all and sundry present at the event.

Bernard Ahiafor and James Gunu earlier inspected a guard of honour mounted by the school’s army cadet corps.

This was after a downpour held up the start of the programme for close to two (2) hours, echoing and reinforcing the urgent need for the school to be provided with an Assembly Hall complex for its social gathering and other related functions.

An ASSOSAN and former PTA Chairman of the school, Torgbui Awusu III of Afife who chaired the function, noted that the moral decadence of disrespect, immoral behavior, corruption and thievery in the society today are as a result of lack of indigenous values and 21st century skills.

Torgbui Awusu III lauded the stakeholders for the collective achievement, hoping that the coming years would bring greater success and joy to the ABORSCO community.

As part of the launch, there were poetry recitals, choreography performances and a cultural display by the school’s cultural troupe.