NOTRE DAME SHS CELEBRATES 50 YEARS
NOTRE DAME SHS CELEBRATES 50 YEARS May 22, 2010
BY PETER ATOGEWE WEDAM
ISD-BOLGATANGA MUNICIPAL
The Notre Dame Seminary Senior High School which is an all-boys school located in Navrongo in the Upper East region, has formally launched its golden jubilee under the theme “Notre Dame @ 50: The citadel of quality education in Northern Ghana”. Some Catholic missionaries led by Very Rev. Father Arman Lebel established the Notre Dame Seminary Senior High School on 8th July, 1960. Subsequently, 31 students were admitted in September of the same year marking the start of academic work at the school.
The Rector of Notre Dame, Father Francis Kodilogo in his report revealed that the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese of the Catholic Church managed the school all the while until in 1990 when financial constraints compelled the authorities to apply for government assistance and thus the school finally got absorbed into the public system in 1996.
Father Kodilogo however observed that despite its absorption by government, Notre Dame has over the years not received its fair share of government assistance to public second cycle schools especially in the area of vehicle allocation. He recounted that some years ago, the school was promised a pick-up vehicle only to arrive in Accra to be told that the said vehicle was re-allocated to another school. Also, the school has not benefited from the Ghana Education Trust [GET] Fund projects as compared with other sister public schools.
Notwithstanding this neglect, Notre Dame has produced academic giants who can be found in all professions and who are doing creditably well. According to the Rector, the school has seen improved performance batch by batch in the West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination. In 2001 for instance, 76 candidates wrote the final exam of which seven obtained distinction with 62 qualifying for the university and just last year, 71 out of 73 candidates qualified for the university. Notre Dame has been ranked among the best scoring schools on the academic league table and sometimes even tops all other competitors.
The Reverend Father however noted that the school is beset with many obstacles ranging from inadequate staff accommodation, ill-equipped science laboratory and library to aged vehicles which often break down causing the school huge sums of money to repair. The school’s ICT centre also lacks computers and accessories for the requisite tuition. The Rector further called the tarring of the school’s roads.
While he thanked various individuals and groups for assisting the school in various forms, he called on others including the GET Fund, government and old boys to continually assist Notre Dame in delivering the desired academic and spiritual training to the many Junior High graduates who gain entry to the school yearly.
The Upper East regional minister Mr. Mark Owen Woyongo who launched the Golden jubilee, promised to provide the school with a bus before the jubilee celebrations climax by December, 2010. However contrary to the Rector’s statement that Notre Dame has not benefited enough from infrastructural projects, Mr. Woyongo mentioned a two-storey dormitory block, four-unit classroom block and a two-story science block as projects being constructed for the school under the GET Fund.
He observed that illiteracy is one major factor among many that cause rural-urban migration which has gained roots in the north. He therefore commended Notre Dame for providing holistic education to students especially those in the northern parts of the country adding that this in a way, solves the phenomenon where children of school going age troop to the cities in search of non-existent jobs.
The regional minister who is also an old boy of Notre Dame conceded that government owes religious bodies like the Catholic Church a lot of gratitude for contributing to the country’s development in areas such as education and health. He said it has always being the intention of government to assist educational institutions operated by these religious bodies as far as resources are available.
He noted that education is the key to natural growth and development and thus urged parents to invest in the education of their children instead of coercing them to go to the urban centres in search of greener pastures. He said in recent times, some communities have encroached on school lands in parts of the region often leaving little land for expansion purposes.
Mr. Woyongo pledged that government will speedily settle all such issues of compensation to land owners but commended traditional rulers who readily release huge parcels of lands for educational institutions to be established.
The Parent Teacher Association [PTA] chairman of Notre Dame, Mr. Philip Azumah in a speech disclosed that the association has collaborated effectively with the school’s authorities to instill discipline in the school. Also in a bid to motivate the teaching staff of the school, the PTA has increased the “academic improvement levy” from 10 Ghana Cedis to 15 Ghana Cedis which is used as inducement for the teachers to do better.
Old boys, members of the clergy, heads of educational institutions and the Upper East representative to the Council of State, Rev. Ayeboo attended the ceremony with the MP for Navrongo Central, Mr. Kofi Adda donating a set of sports jerseys to the school.
BY PETER ATOGEWE WEDAM
ISD-BOLGATANGA MUNICIPAL
The Notre Dame Seminary Senior High School which is an all-boys school located in Navrongo in the Upper East region, has formally launched its golden jubilee under the theme “Notre Dame @ 50: The citadel of quality education in Northern Ghana”. Some Catholic missionaries led by Very Rev. Father Arman Lebel established the Notre Dame Seminary Senior High School on 8th July, 1960. Subsequently, 31 students were admitted in September of the same year marking the start of academic work at the school.
The Rector of Notre Dame, Father Francis Kodilogo in his report revealed that the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese of the Catholic Church managed the school all the while until in 1990 when financial constraints compelled the authorities to apply for government assistance and thus the school finally got absorbed into the public system in 1996.
Father Kodilogo however observed that despite its absorption by government, Notre Dame has over the years not received its fair share of government assistance to public second cycle schools especially in the area of vehicle allocation. He recounted that some years ago, the school was promised a pick-up vehicle only to arrive in Accra to be told that the said vehicle was re-allocated to another school. Also, the school has not benefited from the Ghana Education Trust [GET] Fund projects as compared with other sister public schools.
Notwithstanding this neglect, Notre Dame has produced academic giants who can be found in all professions and who are doing creditably well. According to the Rector, the school has seen improved performance batch by batch in the West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination. In 2001 for instance, 76 candidates wrote the final exam of which seven obtained distinction with 62 qualifying for the university and just last year, 71 out of 73 candidates qualified for the university. Notre Dame has been ranked among the best scoring schools on the academic league table and sometimes even tops all other competitors.
The Reverend Father however noted that the school is beset with many obstacles ranging from inadequate staff accommodation, ill-equipped science laboratory and library to aged vehicles which often break down causing the school huge sums of money to repair. The school’s ICT centre also lacks computers and accessories for the requisite tuition. The Rector further called the tarring of the school’s roads.
While he thanked various individuals and groups for assisting the school in various forms, he called on others including the GET Fund, government and old boys to continually assist Notre Dame in delivering the desired academic and spiritual training to the many Junior High graduates who gain entry to the school yearly.
The Upper East regional minister Mr. Mark Owen Woyongo who launched the Golden jubilee, promised to provide the school with a bus before the jubilee celebrations climax by December, 2010. However contrary to the Rector’s statement that Notre Dame has not benefited enough from infrastructural projects, Mr. Woyongo mentioned a two-storey dormitory block, four-unit classroom block and a two-story science block as projects being constructed for the school under the GET Fund.
He observed that illiteracy is one major factor among many that cause rural-urban migration which has gained roots in the north. He therefore commended Notre Dame for providing holistic education to students especially those in the northern parts of the country adding that this in a way, solves the phenomenon where children of school going age troop to the cities in search of non-existent jobs.
The regional minister who is also an old boy of Notre Dame conceded that government owes religious bodies like the Catholic Church a lot of gratitude for contributing to the country’s development in areas such as education and health. He said it has always being the intention of government to assist educational institutions operated by these religious bodies as far as resources are available.
He noted that education is the key to natural growth and development and thus urged parents to invest in the education of their children instead of coercing them to go to the urban centres in search of greener pastures. He said in recent times, some communities have encroached on school lands in parts of the region often leaving little land for expansion purposes.
Mr. Woyongo pledged that government will speedily settle all such issues of compensation to land owners but commended traditional rulers who readily release huge parcels of lands for educational institutions to be established.
The Parent Teacher Association [PTA] chairman of Notre Dame, Mr. Philip Azumah in a speech disclosed that the association has collaborated effectively with the school’s authorities to instill discipline in the school. Also in a bid to motivate the teaching staff of the school, the PTA has increased the “academic improvement levy” from 10 Ghana Cedis to 15 Ghana Cedis which is used as inducement for the teachers to do better.
Old boys, members of the clergy, heads of educational institutions and the Upper East representative to the Council of State, Rev. Ayeboo attended the ceremony with the MP for Navrongo Central, Mr. Kofi Adda donating a set of sports jerseys to the school.
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