The formerly deprived Oguaa Senior High Technical School has undergone a terrific development in the past year. The school was provided with new structures to deal with the rising number of students. This is an important step in the development of education and a great benefit for students at the school.
The fundamental aim of every school is to give the students the opportunity to expand their knowledge, in fact to learn. Learning is an important process in the life of student, but it highly depends on the way the knowledge is transmitted to the students, in fact how they are taught. Teaching is a method to transfer knowledge from one person, the teacher, to other people, the students. Though teaching is always connected to the teacher it also needs to be executed in an environment that makes learning and teaching possible. Not to forget that a lot of subjects in modern times need essential or assistive equipment to be taught a way, which makes learning possible. A lot of schools in Ghana face problems in different areas: like missing of adequate educated teachers, no appropriate equipment (like computers) at all or for the number students, not enough facilities, a lack of supply of food for students, missing furniture, not to mention the bad provided libraries, so students won’t be motivate to do work without the guidance of a teacher and furthermore problems, and most of the schools do not face problems in only one area most of them have problems with all or most of those areas.
However there are enough of bad examples but there are also some success stories. One of those success stories is the story of a formally deprived school the Oguaa Senior High Technical School. But before we come to the achievements lets recapitulate the situation before any support was given to the school. The school was founded in 1974 and the beginnings are rather described as small. At the beginnings the school had a relatively small catchment area and even in the small area only very few people attend school. It all started with only 30 students and 3 teachers. The offer of courses was also rather small with only 3 different programmes. In 1990 the school was accredited as a Senior Secondary School. After the small beginning the number of student increased very fast from 1991, where the school also became a Senior Secondary School, to 1992 the number of student doubled and the problems of adequate facilities also increased with the number of students. For almost 14 years the school consisted of only, as contemporary buildings suitable wooden structures. Anyhow with the rising number of students and the inadequate facilities, the situation became unbearable and a solution needed to be developed. The solution was the first permanent structure a twelve unit classroom block which also housed the General, Account and Headmistress Office. The given financial support came from the GETFUND.
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| Some workers working at the construction site |
A long while this project remained the only project undertaken to enhance the teaching environment. Though at the beginning the newly constructed block was able to fulfil all needs of the school the number of student was still growing and reached after a short while again the level where the already established structures were not able to provide a suitable teaching environment. At that point the school drew the attention of the media and parents and teacher mobilized to make change to the better for the Oguaa Senior High technical school.
Nowadays the school has improved on their offer of programmes with now six different programmes namely: General Arts, Business, Agriculture, Technical, Visual Arts and Home Economics. The number of people depended on the school has also risen with now over 1000 students enrolled and a teaching staff of 59 and 44 other staff that is the reason why the school needs appropriate quantities of facilities to give those students an environment in which proper studying is possible. To satisfy those needs new projects are going on. At the moment four projects are going on at the school to enhance the situation of teaching. It includes a new six unit classroom block, a twelve unit classroom block, a boys dormitory and girls dormitory those projects are provided with financial support of the GETFUND and also a eight unit classroom block is sponsored by the PTA. Those projects are still under construction, but when they are finished the necessary equipment to furnish them is also already promised to the school. But the development doesn’t stop here, a kitchen for the preparation of food was also made at the recent 20th anniversary of the school.
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| A class room block |
The 20th anniversary of the school was one very important event for a lot of people in politics, education and tradition, because the Oguaa Senior High Technical School seems to be one of the success story in support for educational institutions. People like metropolitan chief executive (Hon. Anthony Egyir Ankins, Daasebre Kwebu Ewusie VII, The Headmistress of the school Mrs. Anastasia Thomford Okyere among others expressed their appreciation for the good development the school took. Also students expressed their gratitude about the new structures and expressed their will to give their best to achieve good grades in the now nice studying environment. The development of the school could be taken as a role model for the coming development of other educational institutions.
The situation of deprived school was changed through committed teachers, parents, the media and politicians. Central Press reported on the deplorable nature of the Oguaa Senior High Tech, which had the headline “Teachers take refuge under a Tree”. Such a development would be desirable in a lot of schools. There are still enough blemishes in the provision of adequate facilities to schools. In a lot of schools facilities are desperately needed and if they will undertake a similar development as the Oguaa Senior High Technical School, the whole region will benefit from the further developed circumstances in education. Schools are the source of knowledge for students. They are for most the only access to knowledge and further education.
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| Headmistress, Mrs. Anastasia Thomford Okyere |
Though the students are taught in school parents have also certain important responsibilities to promote the educational level of their children. A teacher has always to deal with big filled classes and cannot give to everybody the support somebody might need. After school is finished education doesn’t end, parents should try to help their children with the homework and explain to their children also in which way the school education will help them in reality and their further life journey. Education is an engine where a lot of gear wheels have to mesh and the parents are certainly one important gearwheel in the process. If the engine of education is running smoothly it will bring your child very far in life. Education is the cornerstone for success in life and the exit strategy out of poverty. The parents should always keep in mind one day they will depend on their children and then they need their support. So try to give your children the best support you can, so they will be able to support you later on. Parental duties also exist beside the duties of a teacher.
This very good success story should inspire the government to initiate more projects to improve education in Ghana. Education is always praised as the exit strategy and plan for people living in poverty. Anyhow often forgotten in the plans for funding for equipment and new facility are the basic educational level the primary schools. But not to forget is the importance of development in other sectors, especially in Central Region, to create work places for the graduates of the good education facilities. it is nice that Central region is the stronghold of education, but after education an almost mass exodus of graduates happens, a lot of young graduates seek for job opportunities somewhere else, because there are not enough jobs to employ them in Central Region. This fact need to be changed for the development of Central Region to a more prosperous Region.
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| A sutudent receiving his prize from Daasebre Kwebu Ewusi VII ( President C/R House of Chiefs) |
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