President John Mahama on Saturday marked his 56th birthday by performing various functions at the Bagabaga College of Education (BACE), his father’s alma mater, to celebrate its (BACE) 70th anniversary.

BACE, which was established in 1944, is one of the oldest educational institutions in northern Ghana, and amongst its first batch students in 1944 was Mr. Adama Mahama, Father of President Mahama, who later became the first Regional Commissioner of Northern Region under the country’s First Republic.

Speaking at the 70th anniversary celebration and fourth congregation of the College in Tamale, President Mahama said “I am attending this event not only because of my commitment to education, but also to pay tribute to my late father, who was an alumnus of this College.”

The anniversary, which was attended by some past and current students of BACE, also saw 866 students of four batches (2012, 2013, 2014) comprising 772 students from the regular diploma courses and 94 from the sandwich programme graduate.

President Mahama said a visit to BACE was a source of nostalgia for him, as he recounted some of his fond memories of student activities, including football games at BACE.

He described BACE as the mother of education in northern Ghana, since it produced luminaries who served, and were still serving in various capacities in the country.

He gave the assurance that government would continue to champion the interest of teachers, and urged them to bear with government, as it worked to address their challenges.

He encouraged teachers to diligently impart knowledge to students and be dedicated to their work.

President Mahama later unveiled a bust in honour of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, which was situated in front of a library, also commissioned by the President, and named as Kwame Nkrumah Centenary Library.

The President also inspected other facilities at BACE, including its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centre, named after his father, Mr. Adama Mahama.

Alhaji Adam Zakaria, Principal of BACE, recounted the history of the College, and appealed to the government to provide the College with an auditorium for its activities.