President Akufo-Addo’s alma mater appeals to him for support

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s alma mater, Kinbu Senior High Technical School in Accra, has appealed to him to assist to reclaim encroached lands of the school for infrastructural development to take care of the increasing number of students.

It said the 149-year-old school’s lands had been encroached upon by state institutions, transports owners, market women and other people, encumbering the growth and expansion of the school which was set up by then Governor Samuel Rowe in 1874.

The Headmistress of the school, Sylvia M. Letcher-Teye, made the appeal when the management and some staff of the school paid a courtesy call on President Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House.

 They also appealed to him to use his good office to assist the school with infrastructure and other developmental projects.

150th anniversary

The call was used to invite the President to the school’s 150th anniversary celebration in September next year.

During the visit, they presented President Akufo-Addo with a citation as a former student.

Education

President Akufo-Addo received his primary education in Accra, first attending the Government Boys School and then Rowe Road School, now Kinbu Senior High Technical, and later went to the United Kingdom for his secondary education, studying at Lancing College (1957–61).

Upgrading infrastructure

Ms Letcher-Teye indicated that the school had been doing well academically, but to improve it would require upgrading of the infrastructure to cater for the increasing number of students which had moved from 1,200, in recent times, to 2,000.

She said the school had about 130 teaching and non-teaching staff but realised that a lot of people had taken their land which included the one used to build the Octagon, while the rest of the land had been occupied by squatters, market women and GPRTU.

She said reclaiming the lands would afford the school, which is a day school, the opportunity to expand the school infrastructure to include a modern Assembly Hall that can accommodate the 2,000 students and a boarding facility to be able to monitor and control the students to achieve better examination results.

Ms Letcher-Teye explained that the TVET Examination Unit centre, which had occupied the school’s land, could be moved to their new place so that Kinbu School could use the land to build a boarding facility to accommodate the increased number of students, groom them very well to become the future leaders.

Some of the squatters, she indicated, included those around the Accra Metro Education Office, the GPRTU, market women.

She suggested that they could be evacuated from the place for an AstroTurf sport field to be constructed, adding that the burnt structures at the metro area could also be demolished for the school to have access to those lands.

She said the school had no bus while the headmistress’ office also did not have official means of transport and pleaded for support.

Benefit

President Akufo-Addo commended the school authorities for the visit and the citation and said he had not been at the school for a long time and promised to visit the school and the Junior School at Adabraka.

Regarding the various issues, he gave an assurance that he would personally push for them to be addressed noting that “clearly you should get some benefit from my being in the seat as President of Ghana.

We will make sure that something positive happens”, he added.