Prempeh College Launches 75th Anniversary
The Board of Governors of Prempeh College on Saturday, February 24, 2024, launched the 75th Anniversary celebration of the College at a short ceremony that was attended by some distinguished Ghanaians who passed through the college.
The 75th Anniversary Celebrations is on the theme: “Celebrating 75 Years of Outstanding Leadership and Service to Society”.
The programme started with a Guard of Honour at the forecourt of the College by the school’s vibrant cadet corps, with a procession and inspection section led by the Ashanti Regional Director of Ghana Education Service (GES), Snr. Dr William Kwame Amankrah -Appiah, an old student of the College.
In a welcome address, the Headmaster of Prempeh College, Snr. Very Rev. Lewis Asare, who is an old student, celebrated the success of the school in the WASSCE.
He said for the past four years, Prempeh College had achieved 94.6 per cent pass rate in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
He told the gathering that the college’s robotics team had won many trophies including becoming the World Champions in 2020 and mentioned many other achievements in sports and other extracurricular activities.
Still on the achievements, he mentioned that the College also won the National Science and Maths Quiz competition five times and was optimistic that should the College be given the needed investment in academics, robotics, sports and other extracurricular activities, they would achieve more.
In a speech, Eugene Nkrumah Yeboah, who is the Snr. College Prefect stated that the College has contributed immensely to the development of the human resources in the country and continues to do so.
He said the College has carved and is still carving a great name for itself and has made an indelible mark in the history of second cycle education in Ghana and the world at large.
The Chairman of the Board of Governors and Global President of Prempeh College Old Students’ Association, Snr Lawyer Benjamin Kweku Acolatse, who is also the Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Finance & Administration at the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), in an address, urged the ‘Amanfoo’ fraternity and other stakeholders to support the College’s proposed projects such as the Cooking Mechanism project estimated at USD110,000.00, fixing of the main gate, the CCTV installation project estimated at USD30,000.00, an athletic oval estimated at USD250,000.00 and e-library project.
He appealed to all Amanfoo across the globe and other stakeholders to donate funds to support the 75th Anniversary celebrations especially, the various infrastructure projects earmarked to be completed as part of the celebrations to give the College a facelift while providing a conducive environment for teaching and learning.
The Guest Speaker, Snr Prof Peter Donkor, an old student, who is a Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the KNUST and an Honourary Consultant Surgeon at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), took the gathering through the memory lane, telling the story of the College.
He indicated that Prempeh College was established in 1949, through a collaboration involving the Kumasi Traditional Council led by his Royal Majesty, Otumfuo Sir Nana Osei Agyeman Prempeh II, the Asantehene, the Presbyterian and Methodist Church and the British Colonial Government.
The school started in leaky wooden structures, which were remnants of the 52nd Military Hospital at Sofoline with fifty (50) lucky boys who were recruited as the first batch on the 3rd of February 1949.
Snr Prof. Donkor noted that at the school’s inception, there were four foundation teaching staff, namely Rev. S.N. Pearson, Mr.D.A Osei, Mr. O.K Money and Mr. E.K. Anum. He added that, over the years, there have been successive headmasters, both expatriate and indigenous assisted by dedicated teachers and administrative staff, who have put in their best efforts to upgrade the physical infrastructure of the school, create a culture of academic excellence and instill discipline in the students.
He remarked, “Prempeh College taught me to accept second choices and make the most of them and be humble and show respect for others.”
He concluded by saying that Prempeh College cannot rest on its achievements but must spearhead a national transformation agenda to help solve the countries perennial problems. He therefore, expressed his absolute trust in the College’s Global Leadership by pledging to support the developmental agenda set.
The Apagyahene, Snr. Oheneba Owusu Afriyie IV joined the Governing Board of the College to outdoor a new logo and cloth for the anniversary.
The College has therefore set up a Fundraising Committee to raise funds for the 75th Anniversary celebrations and calls on everyone for their massive support.
Story by Emmanuel Oteng Agbley (Wofa Emma Jnr)
