Students’ role in Ghana’s independence struggle, the case of Ghana National College
Ghanaians marked 59 years of independence from the British yesterday. The events that culminated in Ghana’s independence have several remote and immediate causes. One of these is the founding of Ghana National College, Cape Coast, by Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
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The founding of that school which is fondly referred to by its products as ‘Ghanacoll’ and unofficially as ‘National’ is a compelling story of what a section of Gold Coast youth did to ensure that this country broke free from the shackles of colonial rule.
The record stands that Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah founded Ghana National College in July, 1948; and named it so, nine clear years before the Gold Coast attained its independence.
Ghana National College is the only school in Ghana that bears the name ‘Ghana.’ All others that bear the name ‘Ghana’ use the regular ‘secondary school.’
The golden thread that runs through Ghana’s independence struggle is that on February 28, 1948, one Major Imray, a British officer of the Gold Coast Police, personally shot three veterans, Sgt Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe and Private Odartey Lamptey at the Christianborg Crossroads, Osu.
The three were part of a number of World War II veterans who were on a march to the Castle (the then seat of government) to present a petition to the Governor, Sir Gerald Creasy, for improved pensions. The death of the three veterans resulted in widespread disturbances throughout the Gold Coast. In response, the British colonialists cracked the whip.
One of the first steps of the British colonialists was to order the arrest of the ‘Big Six.’ The ‘Big Six’ were the leadership of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), namely Dr J.B. Danquah, Edward Akuffo-Addo, Emmanuel Obetsebi Lamptey, William Ofori Atta, Ebenezer Ako Adjei and Kwame Nkrumah.
These men were arrested and detained by the British colonialists on suspicion of providing overt and covert support for the march of the veterans and also the nationwide disturbances that followed the death of the three veterans.
At the time and as has remained the case, Cape Coast had three all-boys secondary schools — Mfantsipim School, St Augustine’s College and Adisadel College. The students of these schools, like most youth of the Gold Coast at the time, clearly appreciated the calls for independence by the ‘Big Six.’
Thus they planned to stage peaceful internal demonstrations to press for the release of the ‘Big Six.’ On Monday, March 15, 1948, some teachers of St Augustine's College, picked up on the planned demonstration by students of that school, Adisadel College and Mfantsipim School against the arrest of the UGCC leaders.
Early in the morning of March 15, 1948, a teacher was sent by bicycle from St Augustine’s College to a teacher at Mfantsipim School to request that the students’ protest should be stopped to allow the teachers time to resort to non-violent means.
That last ditch attempt to stop the demonstration which had been dubbed ‘political’ went to Mfantsipim too late. The demonstration started at 7.00 a.m. that day and continued till March 26, 1948 when the colonial government ordered that all Cape Coast schools be closed down.
In May 1948, after eight weeks of detention, the six UGCC leaders were released through the force of public opinion.
The colonial government considered the protests of the students as the catalyst of public outcry against the arrest and detention of the Big Six and set out to punish them.
On Wednesday June 16, 1948, the Quarshie-Idun Commission headed by Mr Justice Samuel Okai Quarshie-Idun (then a Magistrate) was appointed by the colonial government to investigate the students' demonstration. The terms of reference for the committee were: -
(1) To investigate the causes of the students' protests in Cape Coast.
(2) To identify students who were most conspicuous in the students protest and any teachers who had shown any sympathy for the students’ cause.
(3)To recommend the dismissal of guilty students and in the case of teachers, to recommend the dismissal of those who were reported to have met with students at any secret meetings before 15th March, 1948. The Commission's findings were to be final. No appeals were to be entertained.
Some teachers and many of the students were ‘tried’ in absentia and the verdicts were arrived at without the Chairman of the Commission seeing them. The outcome of the Commission's investigations were that from the three named Cape Coast boys schools alone, about 150 students were to be dismissed, the majority of them from St. Augustine's College whose Irish Headmaster had become over-enthusiastic with the dismissals. Seven of the affected students from St. Augustine’s College had already been entered to sit for the Cambridge School Certificate Examination in December of 1948. In addition, the Commission recommended that the appointments of three teachers from St. Augustine’s College and one from Mfantsipim School be terminated. The three teachers from St. Augustine’s College were:
(1)Mr Kwesi Plange
(2)Mr J.J. Mensah Kane
(3)Mr H.P. Nelson.
The fourth tutor was Mr. H. W.A. K. Sackeyfio from Mfantsipim School.
Seven of the dismissed students from St. Augustine’s College needed to be taught to prepare for the Cambridge School Certificate Examination.
The four teachers whose appointments had been terminated on the recommendations of the Commission realised they could start a new school with the 150 dismissed students. The parents of some of the dismissed students and the four dismissed teachers were invited to the offices of the UGCC at Saltpond for a meeting to determine what could be done for the students. Those discussions brought some differences within the Big Six. The differences arose from the fact that some of them wanted to engage with the colonial authorities to re-admit the students whilst Kwame Nkrumah desired to call the bluff of the colonial authorities and start a new school for the students. He took advantage of the prevailing circumstances to establish GHANA NATIONAL COLLEGE.
On Thursday 1st July, 1948, Kwame Nkrumah, as Secretary of the UGCC personally invited the teachers to the UGCC’s offices where they met with him and Mr. Kojo Botsio whom Dr. Kwame Nkrumah had invited from Accra for a discussion of the situation. Dr. Nkrumah rejected the view and advice of his colleagues and directed Mr. Kojo Botsio to workout a plan for obtaining approval from the Department of Education to start a new school for the dismissed students. He also urged the teachers to start lessons for the -School Certificate students in the teachers’ own homes in the meantime.
A couple of days after Mr. Botsio's consultations with the Department. of Education, a Senior Education Officer, Mr. H.T. Essilfie with offices at Cape Coast soon conveyed to the school the colonial government's approval of the private school.
On Thursday 8th July, 1948 Dr. Nkrumah, on his way from Axim to SaItpond, stopped at the "Chinebua House" at Aboom Wells Road, Cape Coast and handed over to the teachers cash of £10. The teachers made benches, tables, blackboards, bought chalk and dusters and rented through the benevolence of Mr. S. C. Grant, "Lodge Master", the ground floor of the Old Temple House of the Grand United Order of Odd fellows Belgravean Lodge at MacCarthy Hill, Cape Coast for a rent of eight (8) shillings per month.
The four tutors, namely, Mr. J.J. Mensah-Kane, Mr. H.P Nelson, Mr. Kwesi Plange and Lt. Col H.W.A.K.Sackeyfio (Rtd) featured prominently in the development of Ghana National College.
On Friday 16th July, 1948, 16 boys and one girl were enrolled at MacCarthy Hill and the first official lessons were given. The first 17 students admitted to Ghana National College turned to be an honour list in later life. Prominent among them were:
(1) Prof. Kofi Amoa Oduro, Professor of Anaesthesia at the Ghana Medical School.
(2) Mr. Joseph Kingsley Bentum-Williams, first Head Prefect and for many years, Chief Exceutive of GIHOC.
(3) Mr. S. I. K. Boakye-Agyeman, Chartered Accountant
(4) Dr. L. K. A. Derban, for sometime Industrial Medical Officer of the Volta River Authority
(5) Dr. Asare Berkye, Gynaecologist and Obstetrician
(6) Prof K. Osei-Manu of the University of Colombia.
(7) Mr. Twumasi Ankrah whose life was terminated rather early through his political activities.
Aside the 17 who were enrolled midstream, the first form one boy to be enrolled at Ghana National College was a boy from Saltpond, Francis Kofi Ampenyi Allotey. Together with his colleagues, he started learning science in 1948 on a verandah. He later turned out to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest scientist this country has produced. He is world renowned for the scientific theory known as the ‘Allotey Formalism,’ and several other feats. On leaving Ghana National College, Prof. Allotey travelled to England for further studies; which began at University Tutorial College, London. He continued at Borough Polytechnic, London and later the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London and Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America.
Whilst an undergraduate student reading Mathematical Sciences at Borough Polytechnic Prof. Allotey’s excellent performance resulted in an application at his instance to some professors being accepted such that he was permitted to skip the undergraduate degree course and instead enrolled in the Master’s degree programme at the Imperial College of Science and Technology. That admission was premised on the fact that Prof. Allotey was made by Professor Harry Jones, Head of Mathematical Sciences and Dr. Raimes, a Reader, all of the Imperial College of Science and Technology to solve two complex mathematical problems impromptu when he walked in on an unscheduled first visit on the basis that he had told the two gentlemen during that visit that he had successfully solved all the mathematical problems required for the award of his first degree even though he was yet to reach the year of graduation at Borough Polytechnic. Thus, though Prof. Allotey did not have a first degree, he was admitted to study for a Master’s degree. That occurrence had never been experienced at Imperial College of Science and Technology before his admission and has never been experienced thereafter.
The first formal lesson to be started at Ghana National College was at MacCarthy Hill was on Monday 19th July, 1948. On Tuesday, 20th July, 1948 Dr. Kwame Nkrumah delivered an address to inaugurate the new school. Two of the highly inspirational and prophetic paragraphs of the address are quoted as follows: "in spite of the humble conditions under which we have started, I bring you a message of hope and inspiration. I bid you shake hands with your fellows and teachers over your study tables and over the blackboards…I look forward to the time when there will be a chain of Ghana Colleges in all the four territories which make up the Gold Coast leading to the founding of a very high institution in this country. In the name of the people of the Gold Coast, in the name of humanity and in the name of Almighty God I bid you speed forward till we realize a free and United Gold Coast in a United Africa".
Dr. Nkrumah named the new school "Ghana National College" and nine years later the Gold Coast assumed the name ‘Ghana,’ at independence He directed that the school's motto be"Pro Patria" which loosely translates in English as "For the honour and glory of our fatherland." He also directed that the crest of the school to be represented by the map of Africa immersed in the rays of the sun.
The significance of Ghana National College to Ghana’s independence struggle is that it epitomises what the youth of the Gold Coast felt about the destiny of this country and the need for self-determination.
Ghana National College is today a school of repute in Ghana with several notable products whose education may not have been possible but for Ghana’s struggle for independence. Among the list of notable alumni is Mrs. Charlotte Osei, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Prof. Samuel Sefa-Dedeh, Ag. Dean of the School of Engineering Sciences, Legon, Prof. J.H. Amuasi of the School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences, Legon, Ing. Kirk Koffi, Chief Executive of VRA, Lt-Col. G.K.T. Sam (Jnr), Commanding Officer, 2nd Battalion of Infantry, Apramdo, Nana Mrs. Juliana Owusu-Ansah, current Headmistress of the school, Prof. Jophus Anamoa Mensah, former Vice Chancellor of UEW, J.E. Donkor of Jayee University College, Samuel Codjoe, a legal practitioner, Mariam Kaleem, a legal practitioner, Prof. Bimpong-Buta, Hon. Lee Ocran, Dr. T.B. Wereko, formerly of GIMPA, Prof. Annan Prah of UCC, Prof. Ato Delaquis, formerly of KNUST and world renowned Artist, Larry Otoo, world renowned Artist and Dr. Ababio Tetteh among others.
It is said that the University of Cape Coast at its inception benefitted a lot from the science laboratories of Ghana National College, which were then very well endowed and equipped.
On the occasion of Ghana’s 59th independence anniversary celebrations, the 68 year old Ghana National College looks back with pride and gratitude at the sacrifices of a section of youth of the Gold Coast that brought it into existence. Bold spirits they were!
Ghana National College will mark its 70th anniversary in 2018 and it planned that the 70th anniversary celebrations would be launched in July, 2016 at an event in Accra. The school invites its alumni (Nananom), well wishers and entirety of Ghana to join it mark the epoch, details of which would be released soon.
The record stands that Ghana National College is an integral part of the epic of the independence of Ghana that is told every year.
Floreat! Ghana National College!
Floreat! Ghana!
* The writer is an alumnus of Ghana National College