By Benjamin Makafui Attipoe, Abor
Headmaster of the Abor Senior High School (ABORSCO) in the Keta Municipality of the Volta Region, Rev. Dr. Seth Agbeyome has appealed to all stakeholders of education particularly government to help address the school’s serious infrastructural deficit. According to him, such an infrastructural support in the area of a multi-purpose assembly hall complex with kitchen, staff accommodation, additional dormitory blocks and a 65-seater school bus, would not only boost the morale of both staff and students but also enable the school achieve higher academic laurels in the future.
The Headmaster of the school made the appeal at the 60th anniversary celebration durbar at Abor over the weekend under the theme, ’60 Years of Impactful Journey: Providing Transformative Secondary Education Through Indigenous Values and 21st century Skills’.
ABORSCO was established on 1st October, 1965 as a private community school to serve as a tool for socio-economic development of the area through the initiative of the chiefs and people of Abor, especially members of the then Abor Youth Association (AYA) resident in Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Ho and other places who realized the urgent need for a Secondary School for Abor and its adjoining communities.
The school, which started with 15 students, increasing to 54 with ten (10) teachers when it was upgraded to a Senior Secondary School in September, 1982, currently has students’ enrolment of more than 1,900 and a teaching and non-teaching staff of more than 130.
The Headmaster mentioned staff accommodation, a 65-seater school bus, additional dormitory block, a befitting administration block, a borehole as well as technical and visual arts workshop facilities as the major challenges facing the school.
In the area of staff accommodation for instance, Rev. Dr. Agbeyome noted that out of 130 staff of the school, only 5 of them are resident on campus, adding that the situation affects supervision and teachers’ availability for extra-curricular activities.
The Special Guest of Honour at the event was the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Member of Parliament (MP) for Akatsi South, Hon. Bernard Ahiafor. He described the theme as apt, appropriate and timely, saying it reflects the school’s long standing commitment to academic excellence and character formation in a relevant changing world.
Hon. Ahiafor who is also an old student of ABORSCO, urged the students to study diligently so that the sacrifices and investments being made by government, their parents and guardians and the teachers, would not go waste. ‘Your attitude towards learning plays a critical role in your academic success. Avoid negative habits and the pursuit of money through short cuts like the internet fraud, betting, stealing and smoking among other social vices’, the First Deputy Speaker emphasized.
He was hopeful that all stakeholders including teachers, religious leaders, students and government would continue to work together to play their respective roles with commitment, dedication and purpose. ‘Through such collaborations, we can strengthen our educational system to support students with the knowledge required for national development while at the same time instilling strong morals and ethical values in them’, Hon. Ahiafor emphasized.
The Volta Regional Minister, Hon. James Gunu pledged government’s continuous commitment to strengthening education as the foundation of national transformation. According to him, government would continue to invest the needed resources in modernising infrastructure in schools, expanding Science, Technology, Education and Mathematics (STEM) education and technical training, providing entrepreneurship and innovation among young people and also aligning education with the 24-hour economy agenda to create sustainable jobs.
The Regional Minister described the motto of ABORSCO, ‘Arise and Shine’ as not merely symbolic but also prophetic, adding that it speaks to resilience, ambition and destiny. He therefore stressed the need for all stakeholders including the Alumni to recommit themselves to making ABORSCO a model school for trransformative education.
The Chief of Staff, Hon. Julius Debrah was represented at the function by the Presidential Envoy for Interfaith and Ecumenical relations, Hon. Elvis Afriyie Ankrah. Touching on the theme of the anniversary, Mr. Debrah stressed the need for schools to teach digital literacy, responsible social media, Artificial Intelligence engagement, online professionalism, innovative and content creation as well as digital transformation.
‘As we embrace digital transformation, we must not abandon our values. Technology without character can be dangerous while influence without discipline can be destructive’, Mr. Debrah noted.
The Chief of Staff said the Ghanaian values of respect, humility, integrity and responsibility must guide how digital platforms are used particularly by the students, adding that the goal is not only to produce digiotally good students but also digiotally responsible citizens.
In a speech read for him by the Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture and Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, Hon. John Dumelo, the Sector Minister, Hon. Eric Opoku highlighted the relationship between education and agriculture, saying schools such as ABORSCO must continue to play a pivotal role in nurturing future agricultural scientists, agro-business entrepreneurs, environmental scientists and policy makers.
He commended the tireless efforts of the management and staff of ABORSCO in maintaining high academic standards, urging and encouraging the school and the students to venture into farming including poultry rearing in order to become food sufficient and promote agricultural values amongst the students.
Other speakers at the function included, the MP for the Keta Constituency, Hon. Dzudzorli Kwame Gakpey, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr. Senanu Kwesi Dzokoto, Hon. Alhaji Zubairu Kassim, former DCE for Effutu and the Senior Political Advisor to the MP for Effutu and Minority Leader in Parliament, Hon. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo Markin, the Board Chairman of the school, Mr. Nelson M. Kporha Esq, the Regional Director of Education, Mr. Francis Yaw Agbemadi as well as the President of the Abor Secondary School Old Students’ Association (ASSOSA), Mr. Raphael Edem Yawlui.
A number of individuals were honoured and recognised with citations and television sets for their contributions towards the development of ABORSCO over the years. They included the first and second substantive Headmasters of the school, Messrs T. K. Gadzekpo and Simon K. Kpemlie, the immediate past Chairman of the Board of Governors, Mr. Anthony Yao Jim-Fugar as well as the longest serving staff member of the school, Ms. Mary Ama Ametorwoshie who diligently served ABORSCO for forty (40) years from 1985 to 2025.
The Dufia of Anyako Konu and Paramount Chief of the Amugo Wego Traditional Area, Togbi Tengey Dzokoto Gligui VII chaired the function. He called for further commitment and sacrifice by all stakeholders of education in the area to move ABORSCO forward. He lauded the achievements of ASSOSA and the immediate past final year students for scoring 100 percent in the 2025 West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) amidst the poor or abysmal nation-wide performance of the students in the examination.
