Lawyer thanks alma mater with books donation

An old student of the Twifo Oil Palm Plantation (TOPP) Basic and Junior High School at Twifo Ntafrewaso in the Central Region, George Baffour Asare-Afriyie, has presented 500 storybooks to the school's library.

The donation also included sports jerseys and balls for the development of sports.

Speaking to what informed his donation to his alma mater, Mr Asare-Afriyie said he could not forget the impact his years in the school had had on his life and was motivated to give back.

Now a lawyer and lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Mr Asare-Afriyie explained that he visited the school last November and was not happy with the state of the school library.

He, therefore, sent a delegation led by Rev. Fr Neyoh, also an old student of TOPP, and including an acquaintance, Roland Okore, his mother, Beatrice Aidoo and sister Charlotte kyei -Baffour to make the presentation to the school on his behalf.

Books make difference

Mr Asare-Afriyie said he recognised that books made a lot of difference in education and their availability in the school's library would promote quality teaching and learning.

He recalled how the then headmistress of the school, whose name he only gave as Ms Duncan, made sure the students had the right balance of academics, values and ethics for life.

"She made us understand that it did not matter where you were, you could make it and that energised us to strive to excel at everything we did," he added.

"The teachers were excellent and the students were among the best in the region and country. Indeed, we made it to the best schools and could comfortably compete with students from anywhere," he stated.

"A lot of the values I hold dear I acquired from TOPP school. Indeed, I am grateful for the discipline, hard work and leadership values that were instilled in me," he stated in an interview.

"I realise mentorship is critical for the total development of the young ones and it’s one of the things I am planning to give back together with some other old students, he stated.

He said he also planned to institute a Best teachers award and an honorary award for past teachers of the school.

Old students

The school which started with about 15 pupils, now has about 625 pupils and boasts of medical doctors, lawyers, engineers, accountants, geologists, reverend ministers, lecturers, teachers, pharmacists and bankers as products contributing their quota in Ghana and abroad.

The headmaster of the school, Michael Kudzo, used the occasion to call on old students to come back and support the school.

He also urged all well-meaning institutions and individuals to support the school to produce manpower to support the nation's development.

Some students of the school, Michael Michael Adaye Mensah, Queency Darkwa, Hillary Acquah and Percy Gyina Bediako expressed gratitude to Mr Asare-Afriyie for the gesture, saying it would energise them to learn more and improve their vocabulary.

The school will celebrate its 40th Anniversary next year.

History

The TOPP Basic School was started in 1984 by the wife of the then Accountant of TOPP, Mrs Amo, in her garage with a population of about 15 children.

The management of TOPP adopted the school officially in 1985.

The school has achieved remarkable feats, making it the best in Twifo Atti Morkwa District and one of the best in the Central Region and in the country.

In 2018, the school came 18th in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) ranking in Ghana.

From 1991 to 2020, the best aggregate in the examination has been 06 and the worst, 18.