50 years ago …
In the first week of October 1965, some 21 students from different schools in the country reported at the Konongo – Odumasi Secondary School (KOSS), in the Ashanti Region to begin their sixth form programme as pioneers.
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Five out of this number were continuing students from KOSS while the rest, of which I was one, came from such schools as Achimota, Prempeh, West Africa (WASS), Odorgonno, Bishop Herman and Mawuli.
However, by the end of October 1965, six of the students had left for other schools. They were mainly science students who were not satisfied with the science laboratories at KOSS and I think four of them ended up at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), for the pre-science course for “O” Level Science students which was then in vogue at the time.
The remaining 15 of us went on to complete the programme in June 1967. It was not easy for us. As pioneers, we did not have any seniors to learn from or take advice from. Yet we
Negative reports on KOSS
Even though I never had any regrets for being a pioneer sixth former or even attending KOSS, it was the last school I had hoped to enrol in for my sixth form.
I had heard so much about KOSS when I was at WASS in Accra. The reports were negative. Either the students from KOSS were involved in running battles with students from other schools during sporting events, and especially when KOSS was the host, or the students rioted against school authorities for one reason or the other.
I used to read about these negative reports in the newspapers. The students of KOSS were always having confrontation with, especially, students of T. I. Ahmadiyya Secondary School in Kumasi during football competitions, sometimes leading to the temporary closure of KOSS.
I still remember a student demonstration against one of the heads of the school, Rev. J. K. Fiergbor, which led to the transfer of the man to another school, even though the students were said to have regretted their action since they later realised that Rev. Fiergbor was only strict and a great disciplinarian who meant well for the school.
Why I chose KOSS
I actually chose Opoku Ware in Kumasi for my Sixth Form. After five years in Accra, I wanted to go back to my roots. But unfortunately my card was not sent to Opoku Ware from WASS. I learnt all students owing fees did not have their cards dispatched from WASS as a punishment. It was a critical moment for me. My father had given me all that I owed in my last term. Somehow I followed the example of some of my mates and did not pay all the fees. When I got to know why my card was not sent to Opoku Ware, I became “hot”.
My old man should not know about this prank otherwise hell would break loose. It was while I was thinking about the next line of action that I got the information that KOSS was going to open its sixth form and they were looking for students.
At that point I had no choice but to try my luck at KOSS. My father should never know I kept part of my fees for the final term for myself. I could not imagine what could have happened to me and my future if my misbehaviour had leaked. With time running out for me, I decided to go to KOSS to see if I could get admission even though it was never a school of my choice.
One day, probably on October 3 or 4, 1965, I travelled to Konongo. I must confess that I was surprised at what I saw as I entered the school compound. It was love at first sight. I had never seen anything so beautiful. KOSS was one of the Ghana Educational Trust (GET) schools established by Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah in the early 60s. It’s setting in a thick forest with all the greenery around made it unique among GET schools. It had a special attraction for any first-time visitor.
Getting my admission letter
All the negative thoughts I had about KOSS disappeared as I climbed the stairs of the administration block to be ushered into the headmaster’s office. Mr Emmanuel Ofori-Addo received me nicely and asked me about my mission. I showed him my results slip and told him I wanted to do my sixth form at KOSS. He asked if I would like to be a pioneer. I answered in the affirmative. He then directed me to the assistant headmaster, Mr Daniel Adjei.
It was a different story at Mr Adjei’s office. He collected my results slip and asked me to go and that the school would write to me. It was a big disappointment. How could I go and wait for admission letter when sixth formers had started reporting for academic work? As I left the assistant headmaster’s office to return to Kumasi, I decided to go back to the headmaster to tell him what had transpired. Mr Ofori-Addo asked me to wait for him. After consulting his assistant, he asked me to go back to Mr Adjei.
Mr Adjei asked me to sit down as he prepared my admission letter together with the prospectus for me. He then asked me to report immediately. With the admission letter, I returned to Kumasi, showed it to my father and after two days of preparation I was back at KOSS to start my sixth form programme that was to lead to sitting for “A” Levels in June 1967.
Both Mr Ofori-Addo and Mr Adjei had just arrived to take up their appointments. While Mr Ofori-Addo was posted from Peki, Mr Adjei, who was a pioneer teacher when KOSS was opened in 1953, had returned from Legon with a degree and had been made assistant headmaster. The two were happy that sixth form had come to KOSS and they did everything possible to motivate and encouraged us to stay.
In fact Mr Ofori-Addo went out of his way to even pay us, i.e. the sixth formers, some allowances. He realised that the scholarship was more than the fees we were supposed to pay and gave us the difference. But he was made to stop the payment at the end of the year.
He also made the students to know that we were special and he treated us as if we were teachers. We were in total charge of student activities and there was no need for teachers to be present if there was a sixth former around. We took students on excursions outside the region and brought them back safely. As a result, there was discipline in the school and the students respected us as if we were teachers.
I remember we used to take yam and groundnut soup on Sunday as lunch, which students called gas oil. We sought the approval of the headmaster for the yam to be pounded into fufu for the sixth formers. I remember Ofori Sarpong (who was to become pro-vice-chancellor at Legon, getting annoyed for this special treatment because he did not eat fufu.
It was a great experience for us at KOSS and we learnt a lot. I was particularly happy to find myself in a mixed school for the first time since my primary school days at Salvation Army in Kumasi. This helped me in my interaction with the opposite sex and overall development.
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I cannot, however, forget what happened anytime the lights were put off at about 10p.m. We were not on the national grid at the time and were using some sort of generator powered by water. Anytime the lights went off, I would come to the verandah of our house and tell my friends we were really in a jungle since this was total darkness and all that we could hear from the bush was the noise made by all kinds of animals. It was really an experience and was a far cry from my days at WASS where nobody slept at Accra New Town and during studies time we would be disturbed by the noise made by the “Kelewele” sellers.
Outcome of education at KOSS
At the end of our programme, four of us: myself, Edward Larbi Siaw, Dapaah Addo, Clement Tagoe and Richard Bansah went straight to the University of Ghana ,Legon, with each of us going to different halls. Kwame Frimpong and Ofori Sarpong followed later to Legon while Charles Emmanuel Quampah, with whom I read French at “A” Level, went to University of Cape Coast with Lewelyn Agyarkwa, who passed on last year, going to the Institute of Professional Studies (IPS). The rest travelled abroad and are still there. The only female, Gladys Botchway, is still domiciled in London.
Kwame Frimpong later studied Law at Yale where he obtained Master’s and Doctorate degrees and was the founding dean of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Law School after lecturing at the University of Ghana and in Botswana for a while.
Ofori Sarpong, who read geography at the University of Ghana went to Liverpool University and, thanks to the Physics and Chemistry he studied at “A” Level, became an expert in Physical Geography, especially in the field of geomorphology and meteorology. Both Larbi-Siaw and Richard Bansah succeeded each other as chief executive officers at Ghana National Procurement. Dr Larbi-Siaw is currently the special advisor on Taxation to the Minister of Finance.
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Stephen Dapaah Addo read Law at the University of Ghana and has been practising at Port Harcourt in the Rivers State of Nigeria. He was in the country a couple of years ago us a member of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP’s) legal team during the Election Petition.
We certainly owe everything to KOSS. And after 50 years, I dedicate this piece to all my 15 colleagues who started that journey in October 1965. I salute you all. Floreat Great KOSS.