Konongo-Odumase SHS climaxes 70th anniversary
The Konongo-Odumase Senior High School (Great KOSS) at Konongo in the Ashanti Region has climaxed its 70th anniversary celebration with a grand durbar at Konogo-Odumase in the Ashanti Region.
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The year-long celebration, which included a float, clean-up and blood donation exercises as well as sports and games, was climaxed last Saturday.
On the theme: “Enhancing Quality Education for National Development through Free Senior High School Policy,” the event was attended by dignitaries including the Juabenhene, Nana Otuo Siriboe II, who chaired the event and the representative of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asafohene Akyamfour Asafo Boakye Agyemang-Bonsu.
Also present were the chiefs of Konongo and Odumase, Nana Awuah Abedimsa II, and Nana (Dr) Kofi Antwi II, respectively as well as the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service Dr Eric Nkansah; and the Chairman of Board of Governors of the school, Dr Phillip Yaw Amakye among others.
Addressing the gathering, the Deputy Minister in-charge of General Education Rev John Ntim Fordjour said education was the future of the country and that explained the decision of government to continue to invest in its flagship free SHS policy to make quality education accessible to all.
“By the time this current batch is fully enrolled, we would have counted nearly 2.6 million students that have been impacted by this great policy,” he added.
Rev. Fordjour took the opportunity to commend Great KOSS for its efforts in ensuring that the educational institution became one of the most prestigious in the country.
He assured the school that apart from the 12-unit class room block, and the 300-capacity boys dormitory already inaugurated and handed over to the school by the government, many more infrastructural projects had been planned to support the expansion in enrolment.
Investing in quality
The Dean of the School of Physical Science, University of Cape Coast, Professor S. Y. Mensah, who is also an old boy of KOSS, added that evidence showed that equity went hand in hand with quality, and that reducing school failure, strengthened individuals and societal capacities to respond to recession and contribute to economic growth and social well-being.
For his part, the representative of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, also reiterated the essence of bridging the educational gap of the people, and assured the school of the Asantehene’s dedication to empower brilliant, needy students, through the Otumfuo Educational Fund.
Taking his turn, the Headmaster of KOSS, Dr Benjamin Kweku Baah, reminded the government that KOSS was yet to receive its share of the buses distributed across various schools in 2020.
Endowment fund
At the ceremony, the Board of Trustees of KOSS inaugurated an endowment trust fund, with the target of $5 million US dollars to give KOSS a major facelift, while promoting students’ welfare.
