New Juaben SHS marks 50 years of academic excellence
Started in 1953 as the New Juaben College of Commerce (NJUACOCO), a private school established by Mr G. Kwaku Adjei, a native of Asokore, near Koforidua in the Eastern Region, the institution, renamed the New Juaben Secondary
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Commercial School (NJUASCO) after it became a government-assisted secondary school in 1965, has made remarkable achievements.
Daasebre Nana Kwaku Boateng (the then Omanhene of New Juaben Traditional Area), graciously donated the land the school is currently situated.
Academic performance
Noted for its performance in Business and related subjects, the school is one of the best business schools in the country, and has been performing well academically, with most of its students gaining admission to the universities and other tertiary institutions.
In addition to the Business programme, the school offers General Arts, General Science and Home Economics.
Addressing the 50th Anniversary Speech and Prize-giving Day of the school in Koforidua at the weekend, the Rector of the Koforidua Polytechnic, Professor Mrs Smile Dzisi, called for a significant investment to develop a more co-ordinated learning strategy in schools.
She said the provision of infrastructure and facilities were essential to supporting first-rate teaching and an outstanding student performance, but success could only be built on a substantial investment in quality facilities such as well-stocked libraries, sporting facilities and accommodation for both students and staff.
"The delivery of high quality teaching, learning and research requires a long-term sustained commitment. Sustained public and private investment in the education sector is a sure way to produce impressive results," she added.
Holistic education
Speaking on the theme "Holistic education delivery; the strategic role and importance of stakeholders," Prof. Dzisi said the attainment of holistic education was dependent on an institutional framework that recognised the uniqueness of every single student and the need to match the institution's capabilities with every student's needs.
She said to attain holistic education, guardians had a critical role, just like parents, to inculcate good values and develop a sound moral character in their children, and called on parents to set good examples for children academically, socially, spiritually and culturally so that they would not preach one thing and be seen to be doing another.
She advised students of the school to strive to always go the extra-mile and take advantage of the opportunities offered them by their parents and the school.
Congratulation
Professor Dzisi congratulated the school on its achievements and prayed that all stakeholders of the school would recognise their roles in the 50 years of its existence.
In a speech read on her behalf, the Minister of Education, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman, urged parents to change their attitude towards education by contributing their quota to their children’s education.
She expressed optimism that the ministry, as a stakeholder, would continue to provide the necessary tools to make the school a vibrant institution that offered the best secondary education for Ghanaian children.
The New Juaben Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Kwabena Okyere Kusi, asked the students to avoid copying Western cultures blindly, as most of such cultures were alien to the Ghanaian society.
The Headmaster of the school, Mr Daniel Atakora, appealed to the government to provide more facilities to the school in view of its increasing population of over 2000 students.
Apart from academic excellence, the school has chalked up successes in the field of sports, emerging among the best in the region. They had produced national sportsmen such as Evelyn Boahene, Stephen Kwame Adjei, Joseph Boateng (Table Tennis) Offei Septhen (Hassacas), Desmond Amoah ( Hearts of Oak) and Yaa Afrakoma ( Athletics).
For some years, the female students have won the regional volleyball championship, and they had been the Milo National champions for two consecutive years ( 2001-2002) and runners-up twice ( 2000 and 2003).