SOS Hermann Gmeiner College launches anniversary
The SOS Hermann Gmeiner International College in Tema ( SOS-HGIC) has launched its 25th anniversary celebration of the founding of the school on the theme: 'Knowledge in the service of Africa: Our Journey'.
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At the launch of the anniversary at the weekend, the Principal of the College, Mr Israel Titi Ofei, called for collaborative efforts between parents and teachers to realise the college's vision of a network of young African professionals, united in purpose and committed to the development of the continent as community, business and political leaders.
Programmes of college
The SOS-HGIC, which began on November 5, 1990 with eight Ethiopian Students and four pioneer staff members, now has a student population of 354, 121 of them from SOS families in 15 countries and 223 from Ghanaian and other non-SOS families. Out of the student population,189 are girls and 165 boys, with 57 teachers and 79 supporting staff members.
It runs the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, and has so far been successful in the delivery of both programmes.
The principal said the school had over the years evolved, expanded, and challenged itself to be abreast of the educational practices that were consistent with the curricula they taught, using innovation and the technological tools needed.
He noted that with this growth, their needs had become more complex and several structures had been developed to support the needs of the community and to enable them to achieve their goals.
Challenges
Mr Ofei said the greatest challenge facing the school now was how to sustain the gains made and to develop the other areas that were beginning to show signs of strain.
That, he said, demanded that all stakeholders should be abreast of some important goals of the school, prominent among them being the identification of the brightest and best of academically able African children from SOS Children’s Villages across Africa and from the student population in Ghana, the host country, and to meet their aspirations by supporting them to have access to the best possible education they could get.
The principal disclosed that the college would soon establish a centre for Critical Thinking and Intellectual Development to imbue students with strong analytical skills and added that in the coming years, the school would also support the intellectual development of its committed staff in order to strengthen its intellectual base.
The college, he said, would also expand access for the enrolment of brilliant, needy and underprivileged students.
He commended the past administrators, staff, workers, the Parent-Teacher Association and the alumni for contributing immensely to the successes so far chalked up, and expressed the hope that in the next 25 years, many more young people would have passed through the school, hopefully imbued with an even greater sense of purpose and inspired to use their knowledge for the service of Africa.
Inspiration
The first Principal of the school, Dr Mrs Margaret Nkrumah, who recounted the history and achievements of the school over the last 25 years in academics and other aspects of education, said, “In the next 25 years, the school must reflect on how far it has come, share its lessons and experiences gained and look at the challenges anticipated in the next 25 years in order to build upon its achievements”.
The launch was attended by guests, including the Ethiopian Ambassador to Ghana, parents and old students, as well as teachers and students.