By D.I. Laary
Accra, Aug. 28, GNA – Odorgonno Senior High School Old Students Association (OSSA) 1981 year group has presented 40 tables and chairs, and a computer, to help the school deal with its furniture shortages and boost academic work.
“We were here last year to mark our 40th anniversary of leaving school…we left school in 1981, and last year we came to connect with the students and staff… so that a relationship might begin, and this is the outcome,” Mr. John Gerald Essel, Chairman of OSSA 1981, told the Ghana News Agency.
He stated that the presentation was made in response to a request made by the school after members of the 1981 batch visited the campus last year, but added, “Unfortunately, we came together at a time when most of us are on pension, but it’s better late than never.”
He urged other year groups to follow suit, as well as gather and mobilise resources to support the school’s academic activities, stating that “the government alone cannot do it all.”
Mr. Patrick Mensah, Headmaster of Odorgonno to SHS, stated that the contribution would go a long way toward alleviating furniture shortages, especially because the school would be operating on a single track.
According to the records, the 81st class has assisted the school in a variety of ways, including contributing a corn mill and a freezer, as well as refurbishments. He added, “We are encouraging other year groups to mimic this gesture, to help restore Odorgonno to its past glory.”
He also applauded the cohort for purchasing quality furniture, which is more durable than prior supplies received by the school from other entities.
He stated that the school was provided with a large amount of wooden furniture, but that approximately 40% of it was broken down, emphasising that it was not durable, whereas the furniture supplied by OSSA in 1981 was extremely robust.
“We were given similar furniture, they’re mono desks, we were given approximately 1,200 last two years and when you compare the durability to this one, you notice that these ones are firm so certainly these ones will last more than that one,” he added.
Mr Mensah noted that the school was founded in 1940 in Adabraka but subsequently relocated to its current location in Awoshie, and that as enrollment had grown to around 3200, there was strain on its infrastructure and logistics, which required expansion.
“We lack furniture, and this furniture has come at an opportune time to help the academic progress. We are not doing one in, one out; we are all in school right now, so form one is in school, form two is in school, and form three is in school,” he said.
As a result, he stated that the SHS was in desperate need of furniture, an estimated 500 pieces, to help normalise the situation as form three students were ready to leave and new students were arriving.
He also stated that the lack of a staff common was a serious issue at the school, but that the PTA had begun to address the issue, though the pace was sluggish and that additional assistance was needed.
“We also lack an IT lab, which is a major problem; we also lack a scientific laboratory,” he added. “Anyone who has Odorgonno SHS in their hearts, or the students or children of Ghana in their hearts, may come to our aid and provide us with these facilities,” he said.
He applauded the government for doing its best by giving the school two dormitory blocks and an 18-unit classroom complex, as well as plans for more, but said, “Anyone out there, the NGOs, if they can come to our aid, it will benefit us.”
GNA