I nearly stopped at a point because of how hard I had to struggle to pay fees. But for my uncle Ps Quayson and some other supporters such as Mr. Koompah, the husband of my auntie, I couldn't have paid for my registration fee to write WASSCE.

On a strange land like Apam, I couldn't afford boarding house and so had to perch with my auntie as a day student while reading science.

As a Pure Science student I never reported to school within first 2wks after every reopening from vacation.

Indeed, I never spent less than two weeks in the house during every midterm.

I sold stuff such as toothpaste, toothbrush, belt, key holders, dog chains, fan products (yoghurt, fan milk, fan choco etc) to help me keep up with school.

The only text book I had was Aki-Ola Elective mathematics and GAST (which I took from the school's store).

I depended on my boarding house friends and a woman at the school's kitchen whom my auntie introduced me to for the dining food of the boarders.

During my final year, when I maneuvered my way to King Pobi hostel (without paying for it), I went there even without mattress.

'Provisions' were never in my dictionary during my entire three years stay at Apam Secondary School.

So before you shoot down at FREE SHS with your political lens, just put yourself in the shoes of people like me who would have been going through hell to make it.

I didn't fail as a science student, but obviously didn't get the grades I would have gotten if I had equal opportunity like my counterparts.