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| A view of the new entrance |
On the 16th of July, 2012, I embarked on a trip to Aggrey Memorial AME
Zion SHS. This school shaped my life in many ways and reminiscing on the
wonderful friends I made and the great times we shared together, I was
impelled by such torrent of nostalgia to embark on this trip. I didn’t
go alone. I went with a friend who shared similar sentiments. Though the
journey to the school wasn’t eventful in itself, upon arrival we were
blown away by the things we saw.
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| Students on a Thursday afternoon |
Firstly, I was amazed to realize
that after all these years, I have been unable to shake the “dread” I
feel upon seeing Casford House afar off on the hilltop. This made my
friend and I laugh.
When we got to the school, one couldn’t help but
wonder at the new gate with its stylish fencing. Indeed it is an
impressive edifice to behold. The entrance is beautifully lined with
bright green hedges giving it a surreal feeling which leaves one
wondering if it’s really Aggrey you’ve entered or someplace else. The
feeling is simply amazing. This feeling I later found out did not
resonate with a cross section of the student body (mostly form 1
students). Their beef was that, their colleagues in other schools taunt
that their gate is so imposing it must feel like prison. This I strongly
countered that, those who pass such comment most likely do so out of
sheer jealousy at this new edifice gracing our school. A classic case
of sour grapes. Personally, what I perceive as a downside will be that
fact that the gate wasn’t painted in our school colors but upon closer
examination, I noticed that the edges have already been painted in
Aggrey colors so it’s only a matter of time before the whole gate is
adorned in our bright yellow and mauve colors. Anyway, I will leave you
to make your own judgment as to whether this new gate adds to or take
away from the aesthetic value of our school.
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| Members of the S.R.C adorned in their official outfit |
Another positive thing that struck me was the sheer reduction in the no.
of students. The whole school felt like one big deserted ghost town. It
was not until we walked further toward Watson House that we met two
smartly dressed female students who informed us that they’re actually in
the revision week. This struck me as positive since it implied that the
students were actually in class studying. This we found out was partly
true. The other side to this story is that, the number of students
enrolled has reduced. This is surely a good thing since the school’s
facilities will not be over-stretched. This will ensure equitable and
easy access to the resources and amenities of our dear Alma Mater.
One other major changes which could be said to be “gargantuan”(excuse
the cliché hehehehe) and veritably so is the change in mindset. To say
we were surprised will be an understatement. This current crop of
student (especially the prefectural board) seem so optimistic and they
sound like they’re ready to take on the world. These students seem to
know where they want to be (especially as regards tertiary education)
and what they want to be. One student we talked to actually is planning
on going to Yale (I mean Ivy League YALE!!!)
I guess as an extension
of this mindset change, I noticed that there is now a very decent level
of respect among students. I was amazed to find that even form 3
students actually accord their colleague prefect respect. There is no
sense of dread among the form one students because apparently, bullying
is strictly forbidden and amazingly as this may sound, students were
actually adhering to this rule. This I must say is no mean feat.
Again,
from our observation, it was clear that there is now cordial
student-teacher relationship. This may be due to the fact that corporal
punishment (caning and the like) is no longer practiced. I believe this
should create an environment conducive to studies given that students
don’t dread approaching their teachers and so should be able to freely
seek information as and when it is required.
I am sure by now, most
of us are aware of the new uniforms which makes students look smarter
but what may not be so commonly known is that currently, students have
special dress for Thursdays and Fridays. This is a really great idea.
Aside the fact that these different attires assigned for different days
break monotony, I noticed that many of the students (even form 3
students) had uniforms which looked new because they are not overused.
In addition to the general change in uniform for the entire student
body, the prefectural board have special vests which are beautifully
interwoven with the traditional school cloth and the Aggrey colors.
Before you accuse me of being uncritically Pollyannish, there were a few
issues students raised which I believe if administration will pay heed
to them, will go a long way to further improve the school.
Firstly,
there is the issue of sanitation. Though the main compound and
dormitories were kept tidy, the case was not same for the washrooms.
Many of the washrooms were unsanitary (and this is being charitable) and
are in dire need of serious revamp. Students also complained that new
and proper lavatories be constructed since the current make-shift
lavatories in use are not only unsightly, but actually stinks at night
and when it rain.
Speaking of rains, the students also
complained that whenever there was a heavy downpour, the rains entered
some of the dormitories because there were no louver blades to keep out
the rains. So installing new louver blades will see an end to that
problem.
The issue they complained most bitterly about was the near
absence of entertainment. From what we gathered from the students, they
go for entertainment once or twice in a month. This they say makes
school really boring and some even confided in us that they’re often
tempted to go to some of our sister schools just to attend these
function. This is the exact opposite of what was the case during our
time.If there was anything we lacked at all, it was never entertainment
(aka suudwe) but sadly the case is not the same today. Maybe the new
administration wishes to re-brand the school and it making all effort to
change the “suudwe” perception but I don’t think doing away with
entertainment entirely solves anything…I think it rather exacerbate the
problem. But I could be wrong. Last year, the school recoreded 98% pass
rate with nearly all entering tertiary institutions. In facts, four
students earned 7 As out of eight subjects. The last performing student
actually earned two As. Here I will welcome constructive views on how to
balance studies with fun so our students will be well rounded.
Finally,
there were a plethora of complaints which I think is not exclusive to
our school. These range from the quality and quantity of food at dining,
classroom, allowing phone usage and what-have-you.
On the whole, It
is clear that our school is making steady progress and it behooves on us
to rally round her and support in cash or kind so as to ensure our dear
alma mater becomes even better than it is now.
Long live Aggrey Memorial! Long live AMOSA!!
Semper Optimo Nitere!!!
You can follow more of Michael's writing at
Lost In Thought
