The Board of Governors, staff, old students (Conquerors) and students of St. Paul’s Senior High School and Minor Seminary (SPACO) have climaxed the 65th anniversary, speech, and prize giving day celebration of the school.
The durbar, which had a representative from the Ministry of Education, Regional and Municipal Directors of Education, the Bishop of Keta-Akatsi Diocese, heads of sister schools and traditional leaders among others in attendance, saw deserving students, teaching and non-teaching staff and past headmasters of SPACO celebrated.
The two-week-long celebration featured activities including cadet induction for first year students, games between teachers and students, inter houses quiz competition, career counselling, exhibition from Science, Agriculture, Visual Arts and Social Science departments, and the launch of SPACO endowment fund.
Mr Larry Kwesi Jiagge, Board Chairman, SPACO in a welcome address said aside from the growth in student enrolment, the 65 years of the school’s existence did not lead to any significant growth and development.
“The physical infrastructure has not witnessed any significant change or improvement, neither has any significant addition been made in the immediate past years. They remain the same and are therefore under continuous stress.”
Mr Jiagge lamented that the academic indicators in the school over the years had also witnessed a downward trend, something he described as “a departure from the past records of the school also known as border university.
He explained the gloomy exposition was not meant to act as a damper on the celebration but rather, “a wake-up call to all the stakeholders” to collectively work towards rejuvenating “a once vibrant school community.”
He extended the Board’s appreciation to the Conquerors for their immense contribution which was helping to provide some form of hope to the school while commending the school management for the significant improvement in the academic performance of the school for the 2022 year assuring that the Board would continue to support all initiatives aimed at reviving academic performance and development of the SPACO.
Mr Emmanuel Hope Kwodwo Dogodzi, SPACO Headmaster appreciated all stakeholders who had supported the first catholic second cycle institution established in the southern sector since its inception saying, without them, SPACO, which products could be found in all sectors of the Ghanaian and world economy including politicians, lawyers, civil servants, doctors, lecturers, and bankers would have been no more.
He called for support of all to address urgent needs of the school which include staff bungalows, about 200 computers for the two laboratories, books for the library, classroom blocks and a new school bus to help in the overall goal of improving on teaching and learning in the school.
Madam Abla Dzifa Gomashie, Member of Parliament for Ketu South in a solidarity message delivered through Mr Mark David Doe congratulated the school on the celebration and reminded of the need to uphold principles, rules and regulations of Catholicism while charging the Conquerors to help put the younger ones on bigger pedestals that they (Conquerors) could ever mount.
GNA