–– Aggrey Memorial/Ghana National College


Cape Coast, the former capital of the Gold Coast and currently the Central regional capital, might soon lose its enviable status as an academic pedestal in the country.

This is because even though it plays the role of the birthplace of education in the country, some of the schools are gradually deteriorating, both financially and infrastructural.

Information close to The Chronicle indicates that the Aggrey Memorial Zion Secondary School, one of the very good schools in the country, has one of the fastest deteriorating campuses, with dormitory facilities in a condition not worth righting home about.

Currently, the over 3,200 students cannot be accommodated in the dormitories; thus are forced to sleep in pairs and sometimes on the floor.

The deplorable development is putting students at risk of insect and snake bites, as well as armed robbers. The problems of the school are still persisting after old students complained bitterly about the way the headmaster was running the once highly regarded institution.

It would be recalled that the Old Students Association of the Aggrey Memorial Zion Secondary School (AMOSA), Cape Coast, recommended a few weeks ago that as a matter of urgency the Headmaster of the school, Mr. Appiah Dankwa, be removed to forestall the rapid decline in academic standards in the school.

AMOSA further recommended that both the Board of Governors and the Parent/Teacher Association (PTA) be dissolved and replaced by an interim administration until substantive officers were appointed.

The President of the AMOSA, Mr. Kow Yaidoo, alleged that the old students, over the years, had expressed concern over the declining state of affairs in the school.

He further said all those concerns were communicated to the Headmaster, but added, “Unfortunately, the current Headmaster has turned a deaf ear to these concerns and has not only worsened the situation but also exhibited complete disregard and disrespect for the old students notwithstanding the many projects AMOSA has sponsored in the school”.

Enumerating some of the problems confronting Aggrey, Yaidoo alleged that over the years, he said reports of students’ indiscipline had been rising due to the high student population, which he said was in contravention of the directives of the Ghana Education Service (GES).

He disclosed that currently, the school had a student population of over 3,200 making it the largest student population in any second cycle school in the country.

He also fumed that the annual intake was in excess of 900 students, which he disclosed was above the GES’s recommended maximum number of students per school.

He added that Aggrey Memorial Zion Secondary School, unfortunately, has always had a bad social image such as promiscuity among students in and out of campus, cases of armed robberies, wee smoking, and truancy, among others.

Mr. Yaidoo stated that the dangers associated with over-crowded students included homosexuality and lesbianism, and called on all caring parents to join AMOSA to liberate their wards from such immoral acts.

Other dangers associated with over-crowding, according to the AMOSA President, were uncomfortable heat and discomfort, which he said had compelled some of the students to sleep in the open and in the classrooms at night.

Apart from the infrastructure problems confronting the school, Yaidoo again enumerated the very poor academic performance of the school, which could only be compared to a village secondary school without teachers.

On the results from the July 2005 Senior Secondary Certificate Examination, out of the over 900 candidates presented for the core English examinations, 608 or 65% failed with grades E or F; only one person got an A.

With this same number who took the core mathematics examination, 553 or 61.4% failed with grades E or F.

He said it was incredible that there existed a Board of Governors to oversee the administration of the school, alleging that the Board had allowed things to deteriorate to this level and that the old students were holding them responsible for the degeneration of the school.

Apart from Aggrey Memorial, Ghana National College, which was established by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah during the first republic, was also facing similar financial problems.

According to an audit report from the Audit Service sent to the Headmaster, Mr. JB Koomson-Barnes, dated April 1, 2005 with the heading; “Management letter on the accounts of Ghana National College, Cape Coast – December 2004”, school fees for November 2003 to December 2005 were unaccounted for due to weak internal controls.

The findings again stated that the total rent paid to the Headmaster in the amount of ¢38,750,000 for the period were not accounted to the school.

The audit also said “three quotations required to be attached to paid vouchers for supplies made was disregarded, seven and half percent withholding tax, which was not deducted amounted to ¢36,662,075.”

It further revealed that unapproved loans granted an amounted to ¢222,000,000 whiles fuel purchased estimated to be ¢34,500,000 were without detailed statement.

Purchases made summing up to ¢22,914,500 were not routed through the stores, whereas eleven staff members who had left the school still had their names on the payroll of the school.

It also came to light that prices of foodstuffs purchased for the students were inflated during the period. The report said prices of foodstuffs quoted on 38 payment vouchers totaling ¢675,028,500 were found to be inflated.

“Indeed prices of foodstuffs remained high and unchanged even during bumper harvests of food stuffs when prices fell. Advantages were also not taken of discount and reduction in prices that are associated with bulk purchases”.

According to the report, the headmaster explained that a Procurement Committee was set up to address such high prices.

The District Auditor of Cape Coast District A, Mr. R. K. Okine, advised management to institute stringent measures to curb high prices often quoted by the domestic bursar.

On the recommendations of the Service, Mr. Okine noted that all amounts misappropriated should be recovered and those due the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the school and the government be paid.

The Committee also requested the deletion of names of teachers who had left the school from the payroll.

Strangely, as at the time of filing this story, the headmasters of the two schools, Messrs Appiah Dankwa and Koomson-Barnes, were both at post.