Academic Pursuit
I went to a primary school called Hwiremoasi (Hwiremoasi). I was six (6) years going to seven (7) before going to primary school. The main reason was that, I was fourth of the surviving seven brothers on my mother’s side. We were nine and the first two died. My father wanted me to be a farmer and not go to school. My father was a polygamist and he had more than thirty-five (35) children. So my mother objected to her son not being sent to school and they nearly fought.
My mother took me to her village which was three (3) miles from where we were living and asked me to go to school there which I started in a Catholic school. And my father somehow not liking his children staying away, angrily brought me back and took me to school but really that meant that all my life, my father did not care about my education. Out of anger he was not paying my school fees and discriminated between my half-siblings and me. Surprisingly, when I was doing my master’s degree, my father wrote me an apology, which was good. I cannot say I am too smart to be a farmer. I was 25 years when I finished my first degree whiles my son finished his at 21 years of age. I remember at my time the only one who graduated at 21 was Tsatsu Tsikata which was big news and I said it was possible if you had the right father.
I did my first six years at a Methodist primary school in my village.
I had a good time at school and generally, academically, I was above average so I was good. The most interesting thing is that my classmates from primary 4,5 and 6 were only three and that was Stephen Adei, Emmanuel Ocansey and George Addo so almost all our positions was assured. The village had no middle school at that time, so about six catchment areas all went to school at Adanso offiyie. It was a very interesting school because it was a catholic and Methodist joined school and there the challenge was higher. We had one best student from about eight different schools that was the first time academically, I had a challenge and the result was posted. I think I was the not the first in my first year at school because there was someone before me and then from second year I was the first till I finished school so the impression was that I was the first throughout. During those times, you could go to secondary school from the 8th grade or the 9th then you have the common entrance exams.
Looking back God had his purposes, I passed first Opoku Ware and Prempeh College but I couldn’t go. The following year I passed Mfantsipim and later on Aggrey Memorial gave me admission I couldn’t go because my parents couldn’t afford even to pay my fees. I missed secondary school but I knew if I had gone I would have obtained a scholarship. But when I went to middle school form 4 then I asked my teacher who was teacher Amoah who comes from Nkruya Wapong, that if you are poor, does that mean you cannot go to secondary school and university. I think that the teacher was a bit sad and he said that no you can go to the university so I asked how? And he said by doing corresponding courses. I never asked any question any more. I just kept it in my mind that there is something like corresponding courses which you can use to go to the university.
So we did our standard seven certificate and I also sat for the training collage examination because at that time from standard seven you could go to set ‘A’. By God’s grace I passed and went to Safiosi Training College. But interestingly when we were in form 4, I think that the intellectual distant between me and my class mates for some reason even the 2nd and 3rd years was really huge. So I became a benefactor to an assistant teacher and the form 4 who had evening studies, he dedicated all of them totally to me. I taught in the evening so everybody referred to me, including teachers, my class mates and the whole school. It was quite interesting and the first thing I learnt is that you can be a leader without a position.
So I applied to Sefiosi training college in Kumasi. When we arrived there were buses packed there and when I asked why, they said they have finished our building at Sefiosi after about 10 years or so that is 60 miles from Ayanfri on untarred road. I couldn’t believe it, you can imagine you think you are going to a training collage in Accra and you end up in a village in the Volta Region more than 120 miles away from Kumasi not even in the same Ashanti region. After two and a half years I had my ‘O’ Level but failed in English. Those days if you didn’t pass well they will give you subsidiaries. So eventually I passed my maths subsidiaries, economics with an E and geographic B. I applied and got admission to the University of Ghana but as a private student because I had a scholarship from Gracetin West Africa, a wood processing company at Sefiosi. It was really a rapid intellectual growth. In other words I had my ‘A’ Level three and a half years after my 10th grade. Technically I finished my degree before my classmate who finished middle school after form 4 who went to secondary school came to the University of Ghana. I was a graduate before they finished secondary school and I came back to teach some of them because I went straight to do my masters and was teaching at Legon as part time.
The Most Important Part Of My Life
The most important apart from the academic work in all my life was when I gave my life to my Lord Jesus Christ and saviour. That is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. My three greatest things are my birth which I think I had nothing to do with, my new birth and my marriage to my wife. Everything else is second.