GHANACOLL old students organise lecture in honour of Nkrumah, others
The Ghana National College Old Students Association (Nananom) will tomorrow honour Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the Founder of the school and four founder members with a lecture.
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The lecture, which is named the first Nkrumah-Plange-Mensah-Kane-Nelson-Sackeyfio Appreciation Lecture, will be delivered by world renowned physicist and mathematician, Prof. F.K.A. Allotey, on the topic “Science, Technology and Sustainable Development, an African Challenge”. He was also the first form one student at Ghana National College in 1948.
According to Nana Ben Odai, the President of the Ghana National College Old Students Association, “It is almost 67 years to the day Ghana National College was founded by Osagyefo Dr Nkrumah.
“The teachers he used in that enterprise were Kwesi Plange, J.J. Mensah-Kane, H.P. Nelson, all of blessed memory and Lt Col H.W.A.K. Sackeyfio (retd), who is alive.
“Nananom feel a sense of duty to honour these valiant men for what they did for Ghana in very trying circumstances in 1948 at the height of the Gold Coast’s struggle for independence.
The appreciation lecture is going to be a yearly event and will be delivered by distinguished Nananom to show the world that the seed that was sown in 1948 has borne fruit and continues to do so with various Nananom excelling in all spheres of human endeavour,” Nana Odai said.
First speaker
“In instituting the lecture, we have chosen as the first speaker, Prof. Allotey. Apart from being the first form one student admitted to our school, his work in the sciences has been recognised worldwide and indeed gives meaning to our school’s crest which has the sun’s rays shining in general on the continent of Africa and particularly on Ghana.
“Prof. Allotey has in turn shone his intellectual light on the world from Ghana National College on Africa and the world in general. We of Ghanacoll are very proud of his achievements,” he said.
Ghana National College was founded in 1948 by Osagyefo Dr Nkrumah under very unique circumstances. Dr Nkrumah named it the Ghana National College, nine clear years before the Gold Coast attained independence and took the name Ghana.
The basis of the founding of Ghana National College is that when the Big Six were arrested and detained in the wake of the February 28, 1948 shootings and looting, some students from the three boys’ secondary schools in Cape Coast, namely Mfantsipim School, Adisadel College and St Augustine’s College, went on a demonstration to demand their immediate release.
Alarmed by the boldness of the demonstrating students, the colonial authorities moved swiftly to punish them. The government set up a commission of inquiry chaired by Justice S.O. Quashie-Idun, to, among other issues, establish the causes of the students’ demonstration, identify students who participated in the demonstration, identify any teachers who assisted the students and make recommendations as to appropriate sanctions.
Dismissal of students
The Quashie-Idun commission ended up recommending the dismissal of all the students who were identified to have participated in the demonstration and also the dismissal of any teachers who showed overt or covert support to the students.
In all, about 150 students from the three boys’ schools were identified and dismissed. Four teachers, namely Messrs Kwesi Plange, J.J. Mensah-Kane and H.P. Nelson from St Augustine’s College and H.W.A.K. Sackeyfio from Mfanstipim School, were dismissed.
On the release of the Big Six, the parents of some of the dismissed students approached Osagyefo Dr Nkrumah about the predicament of their dismissed children. He in turn asked the dismissed teachers to start classes immediately for the students from rented premises.
He gave the teachers £10 out of his salary of £25 to buy kerosene tins, boards and other incidentals to start the school.
The teachers carried out Osagyefo Dr Nkrumah’s instructions and on July 20, 1948, he personally inaugurated the school in Cape Coast, naming it Ghana National College.