Old Achimotans relaunch ASET Fund

The President of the Old Achimotan Association (OAA), Joel Nettey, has urged old students of various year groups to support their alma mater and to consider their support as a way of creating more opportunities for young people to have quality education.

He said that the present situation with education, behoved old students to contribute their quota in preserving the legacy and pedigree of their schools by supporting the present students.

“It's time for us to give back to the school so it is endowed for other people who can't afford it and do not have the privilege that we have.

We need to generate that mindset where we give back to the school so that these students can be educated and go into their communities, make an impact and change lives,” he said.

Mr Nettey, who is a member of the 1989 year group, was addressing a press conference to inaugurate the refurbished old assembl­y hall, a project jointly undertaken by the 1974- and 1984-year groups.

The event was also to reintroduce the Achimota School Endowment Trust (ASET) Fund to help raise money to support the growth and longevity of the school.

Mr Nettey commended the 1974 and the 1984 year groups for their commitment in diverse ways to assist the school as part of their legacy project and the refurbishment of the old assembly hall which cost GH¢1.32 million.

He also commended the 1999 year group for contributing $50,000 to the ASET Fund.

He said some of the activities to mark the celebration included a torchlight procession, bonfire party, cadet parade, a grand durbar and a thanksgiving service.

ASET Fund

The Chairman of the ASET Fund, Kofi Fynn, said the fund was set up in 1989 to provide the school with the necessary financial support and help in the maintenance of the school’s facilities and the promotion of other charitable projects.

He commended the 1974 and 1984 year groups for their legacy project and the 1999 year group for the launch of the fund to raise $100 million before the school turns 100 years old.

Mr Fynn urged all year groups to work together and contribute to the fund to ensure it had the necessary resources to serve its intended objectives, stating that the changes made to the fund would allow benevolent donors and partners to make specific demands as to how they wanted their contribution to be used to support the school.

“If you want your contribution to be used to ensure that our school is a centre of excellence for music education, it would and if you desire to promote science, education, sports, among others.

 You can, as long as the objectives outlined align with the school's development plan,” he said.

Navigating change

The Headmaster of Achimota School, Ebenezer Graham Acquah, said beyond government support, there was a need to generate funds to support maintenance, teaching and learning, and the building of new structures.

He said funds were required to navigate the change and people with the resources were critical to reform the process.

He said funds were  critical in their quest to restore their legacy adding, “Our school may list lofty goals that support an ambitious vision but it is our economic reality that defines the degree to which we could do what we say we will do.”

Collaboration

The President of the 1974-year group, Dr Gordon Quartey, on behalf of the two-year groups, said their members had worked together to deliver the project within three months.

He said a strict maintenance protocol was needed to justify the group’s investment into the facility hence he commended the 1999-year group for restructuring and designing a fund for maintenance of projects.

He said the groups were committed to contributing towards the ASET Fund to secure a pool of resources which would help improve the existing facilities of the school and academic programmes and facilitate the progress of their alma mater.