By: Rachel Kakraba
National President of the Ketasco Past Students Association, Kojo Mattah, has underscored the importance of past students associations to the development of their Alma Mater, saying all schools must have a vibrant Old Students Association.
He said schools without such associations should urgently form one to prioritize development of their school.
“Past Students Association of any school determine the state of the school, so a good school must have a vibrant Past Students Association. Those schools that do not have, I will encourage them to form those association and go back to their schools and give back because it is the school that made us what we are today.”
Mr. Mattah, said communities within which schools have been cited must also be supported to develop.
“Nothing is small, it could be a library, it could books, it could computers anything. Going to the school could be a source of motivation for the teachers and all the other staff who are taking care of the students, so we should make it a point to always go back to our school, including communities the schools are located” he added.
Mr. Mattah was speaking at the school’s global health walk in Accra, as part of activities to commemorate its 70th anniversary on 26th November, 2022.
The Health Walk was an opportunity for old students to fraternize and catch up on old times. Mr. Mattah said the walk, which is an annual event brings excitement among past students.
He said the health walk took place simultaneously at other places to serve as an opportunity to brainstorm on ways to develop their Alma Mater.
“We termed it global health walk because it has taken place con-currently in the UK and our colleagues in Keta have done it, our colleagues in Ho have done it as well as other places.
He said the health walk which is an annual event on the association’s calendar is to ensure members stay healthy at all times.
“Health they say is wealth no matter what you have if you don’t have health then a lot of things will go wrong, so we think we should always keep fit”
Mr. Mattah, said the school has impacted the lives of many, and encouraged past students to do more to better the lives of current students.
“Ketasco has contributed to the human resource development of this country, we have people who have served the various levels of society, industry and academia, business and all other places. So we have provided our quota to the development of the country,” he added.
He also spoke about peace for development to thrive in the Country. “We will encourage all others to be good citizens and make sure that we are law abiding because without peace we cannot have development”
Public Relations officer of the association, Fafa Korley, said admission has seen an increase in the school, following its sterling performance at the National Maths and Science quiz. He asked past students to continuously invest in their Alma Mater to nurture the next generation of leaders.
“When a year group finishes school we give them ten years to integrate into the community and then we induct them as members. We try to seek the welfare of people we share our aspirations, we try to put our resources together go back to the school and affect the lives of the little ones”
He asked past students yet to identify with the association to do so in earnest.
“If you are a year group that is not registered with us, please get to the Secretariat so we will them to form”
Two students from the 1968 batch, Daniel Agboh, and Flt. Lt. Yao Kutsienyo, who joined the health walk speaking to GGBCGHANAONLINE said taking part in the health walk was a learning experience. They acknowledged contribution of Ketasco to their lives.
Flt. Lt. Kutsienyo, is also president of the 1968 batch said “Without Ketasco, me Yao Kutsienyo, I won’t be here this day. Right from the word go the discipline was there, the studying was there and whatever will make a man make it in life, we learnt it from there. In fact 1968 up to now is quite a distance through life. We are loosing sight of the young ones, so most of these activities you will want to join and keep touch with them”
Daniel Agboh, “Whatever Ketasco is doing I’m always amongst them as long as Dzolali is my life”
There was a health screening as part of the programme.
The 70th anniversary will be climaxed in December 2023, after year long anniversary activities.
