Wednesday, March 10, 2010

K'DUA PENTECOST SHS MAARKS 10 YEARS OF SUCCESS (PAGE 20, MARCH 10, 2010)

THE Church of Pentecost is one of the leading Pentecostal churches with branches spread throughout the country.
The church also has branches in many countries throughout the world such as the United States and the United Kingdom.
Converting the people and ensuring their spiritual uplift are among the main focus of the Church of Pentecost.
Later on, the church added social services to the two initiatives to enable it to better serve the physical and material needs of its members.
The spiritual uplift coupled with the social services and vigorous evangelisation over the years, increased the membership as well as fortunes of the church .
However, realising that formal education brings knowledge, enlightenment and plays a vital role in socio-economic development, the church decided to invest in it by putting up a number of schools.
That initiative made it possible for the youth in the communities where the schools are located as well as the church’s teeming young men and women to widen their horizon and equip them with the necessary skills to meet the challenges of the fast changing world.
Currently, the Church of Pentecost has educational institutions at all levels, from kindergarten to the Senior High Schools (SHS) in different parts of the country, and has crowned it with a tertiary institution, the Pentecost University College at Sowutuom, a suburb of Accra.
However, one educational institution that has made its mark both in academic achievement and discipline, is the Pentecost SHS (PENSEC) at Koforidua.
The school which was established 10 years ago, is now one of the best in the New Juaben Municipality, both in academic performance and discipline, producing brilliant students for the tertiary educational institutions.
These students, some of whom are now professionals in various fields, currently occupy responsible positions in various reputable organisations in various parts of the country.
The school’s achievements which were hitherto unknown, were made bare last week when it celebrated its 10th anniversary in grand style. Past students, parents, top clergymen of the church and government officials, including the Deputy Minister of Education, Mrs Elizabeth Amoah, who is also a deaconess of the church, attended the ceremony.
The event, on the theme: “Ten years of quality education: Challenges for sustainability,” was used to solicit funds and logistics to improve teaching and learning at the school.
In his report, the Headmaster of the school, Mr Kojo Butu said the institution had within a short time of its establishment been transformed to be among the best not only in the New Juaben Municipality, but the country as a whole.
Giving a brief history of the school, Mr Butu stated that it started on February 10, 2000 with 110 students, comprising 60 girls and 50 boys.
Initially, the school had only one infrastructure, a 12-unit classroom block so some of the classrooms were used as the headmaster’s office, boys’ dormitory and a dining hall.
According to Mr Butu, despite the numerous challenges, especially inadequate infrastructure, the first headmaster, the late Mr John Kwadwo Agyire, worked tirelessly to ensure that the students excelled academically and imbibed with the strict discipline associated with the church.
He said in view of such successes, the school’s population increased tremendously to about 600 and that compelled the church to provide additional facilities which had made it one of the best in terms of infrastructure in the municipality.
According to Mr Butu, the school’s committed and experienced graduate teachers, who enjoy additional 10 per cent of their salaries based on the Ghana Universal Salary Structure, had also contributed significantly to improve the school’s academic record over the years.
He cited for instance that since 2004, the school has been recording 100 per cent passes in the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSSCE).
A percentage pass in six or more subjects since the school’s inception is as follows, 2003 — 36.7 per cent, 2004 — 44.7 per cent, 2005 — 52.9 per cent, 2006 — 69.0 per cent, 2007 — 70 per cent, 2008 —7 per cent and 2009 — 87 pr cent.
This remarkable academic achievement made it possible for many of the school’s past students to gain admission to tertiary educational institutions, especially the universities.
It is gratifying that some of these students have come out as professionals in the various disciplines and placed in responsible positions in various reputable organisations throughout the country.
The Deputy Minister of Education, Mrs Elizabeth Amoah, who was the chairperson for the 10th anniversary, was full of praise for the Church of Pentecost for complementing government efforts by providing quality education for the youth.
“What the Church of Pentecost has done is what is expected of all churches and I salute the church for its initiatives,” Mrs Amoah stated with delight.
She, however, advised the students to eschew all negative tendencies such as pornography and “sakawa” and take advantage of the investment being made in them by their parents to study hard to achieve their ambitions.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo whose speech was read by an official from the Regional Co-ordinating Council, also commended the church for its commitment to the development of Education in the country.
“It is gratifying to note that the Church of Pentecost as part of its social responsibility, has put up this institution to make quality education accessible to all; the government as a major stakeholder in education, will create the necessary environment to ensure that the aims and aspirations of the church are realised,” Mr Ofosu Ampofo stated.
Although the school’s good infrastructure situated in a serene atmosphere can be described as one of the best in the New Juaben Municipality, it is still inadequate.
It needs an additional dormitory block, especially for the girls and a school bus and it is expected that well-meaning citizens in the municipality and other non-governmental organisations would support the church to provide such facilities.
This is because PENSEC admits not only students whose parents are members of the church, but others as well who are all moulded academically and morally to help move the country forward.

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