By Iddi Yire
Accra, May 17, GNA – The University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) has donated 50 bunk beds to the Presbyterian Boys’ Senior High School (PRESEC), Legon in Accra to help solve some of its furniture challenges.
Professor Abednego Feehi Okoe Amartey, Vice Chancellor, UPSA, presented the 50 bunk beds to Dr Eric Nkansah, the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, who then handed them over to Mr David Odjidja, the Headmaster.
The Vice Chancellor said the donation of the 50 bunk beds, which could accommodate 100 students, was to help address some pressing needs of the school.
The UPSA, a neighbour of PRESEC Legon, he said, had a special interest in the school as well as other schools in its neighbourhood, hence it adopted the La-Nkwantanang Cluster of Schools in Madina, which it had supported with books and the constructing of a wall round its premises.
“This is because we believe that the future of this country is actually our young ones…Education is a leveler, once you are able to go to school, it is the surest way to end poverty, at least for you, which is why the UPSA takes a lot of interest in seeking to help our neighbours.” Prof Amartey said.
Although PRESEC Legon is a first-class school, it has some challenges that need to be resolved.
After engaging the Management of PRESEC, the UPSA realised that because of the increase in the number of students, more furniture was needed, hence the donation of the 50 bunk beds to the school, he said.
Touching on a request by the headmaster for more furniture, Prof Amartey said they would take the report to the University Council for its perusal.
“My prayer is that schools like PRESEC Legon would be model schools for others to emulate,” he noted.
Prof Amartey appealed to the students to take their studies seriously to excel as, usual, in the West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
Mr Odjidja said PRESEC was established in 1938 at Odumase Krobo in the Eastern Region and relocated to its current premises in 1968.
It will be celebrating its 85th Anniversary this year.
He said the school had been one of the best senior high schools in the Sub-region, especially when it came to the sciences.
He said prior to the implementation of the Free Senior High School policy, every year, admission was about 800 maximum, so the entire form one to three population could be about 2,400 or not more than 2,500.
Currently the final year students alone total 1,776, whereas the form two students are 1,930, and the form ones, 1,730.
“So, we are just about 5,500 and because of this growth, obviously some challenges are likely to come along with that,” Mr Odjidja said.
“Seven hundred students are currently without desks in the classrooms. We continue to receive some from the Ministry, but almost every time we receive, the numbers also increase and the cycle continues.”
“We have a similar challenge at the dinning hall, we are unable to sit students at the same time at dinning just because of furniture.”
He said they were preparing for the 2023 WASSCE, and that when all form three students took their tests, the rest of the students would not get desks for classes, therefore, they mobilised benches to the classrooms while some sat beside their classmates.
“In the midst of all these challenges, PRESEC Legon does not allow excuses to compromise its standards and we will continue to do our best till we produce the results, which is our mandate.”
Dr Nkansah, the GES Director General, who commended PRESEC Legon for being the best performing science school in the country, also praised it for winning the National Science and Maths Quiz for the seventh time, which was the highest in the country.
He lauded the UPSA for the kind gesture and urged other stakeholders to emulate the good example.
A visibly elated Master Emmanuel Nukpezah, the Head Boy, on behalf of the students, expressed gratitude to UPSA for the kind gesture with the assurance that they would put the items to good use.
GNA