The Sunyani Senior High School (SUSEC) will attain 60 years in 2020 and the celebration to that effect was at the weekend launched at a ceremony in Sunyani.

The year-long celebration, on the theme “60 Years of Quality Education: Sustaining Education for All to Ensure Economic Transformation” is designed to be climaxed with a grand durbar in October next year.

The School with the motto “Me Man Nti, Enye Me Nti”, which can literally translated as “For the Sake of My Nation, But Not My Interest” was established under the Ghana Education Trust (GET) Schools by former President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in 1960.

The first batch of students that comprised five females and 31 males, including Nana Bosoma Asor Nkrawiri II, the Paramount Chief of Sunyani Traditional Area and Mr Joseph Adjabeng Danquah, who later became tutors of the School were admitted to begin academic work in October that year.

Speaking at the launch, Professor Emmanuel Opuni Frimpong, the Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Energy and Natural Resources, observed that the preparation of students for final examinations nowadays have turned the focus more on teaching them to pass because of time constraints rather than having a better understanding and grasp of the subject-matter.

He said “educational institutions are expected to provide holistic education which touches on the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains of the individual with the overall objective of producing better adults for society” but “this is not the case in most of the nation’s institutions”.

Prof Frimpong stated that the quality and the future of the country’s education could not be looked at without a consideration of student/staff ratio and class sizes, observing that lately there had been situations of increases in student numbers without a corresponding increase in the number of teaching staff.

Prof Frimpong indicated that situation impacted on effective contact hours, supervision and teaching, which tended to affect the overall quality output.

The Pro VC therefore suggested the need for a new breed of skilled teachers trained in handling relatively large class sizes.

But such teachers must be computer-literate who were abreast with modern trends of quality education, coupled with having the welfare of students at heart, as well as the demonstration and dedication of quality output, he added.

Mr. Michael Nsiah-Agyapong, the Headmaster reported that from a humble beginning of 36 pioneer students, the School now had a total enrolment of 3,843, explaining that with a staff of 273, comprising 143 teaching, 94 non-teaching, 16 interns and 20 national service personnel, the total population of the institution now stands at 4,116.

Mr Nsiah-Agyapong said around April 2018, two months after he had taken office, the level of discipline in the school could be pegged at 40 per cent but now it could be pegged at 70 per cent.

He stated with the effective collaboration of Management and staff “discipline is high and that has started manifesting in the students’ overall performance in sports, drama and culture, choral music performances and academic delivery”.

Barima Dr. Adjei Hinneh Afranfo I, the ‘Atipinhene’ of Japekrom Traditional Area in the Jaman South Municipality of Bono Region and the Chair, Board of Governors of the School who presided, lauded the old students for their tremendous support in diverse ways and urged them to do more for the continuous progress of the school.

He also thanked the staff for their commitment and meritorious services to the School, especially the teachers for not only helping to lift academic standard but supporting the Management to instil discipline in the students.