23/07/2023
19TH JULY IS GHANA NATIONAL COLLEGE'S 75TH ANNIVERSARY 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎊🎊🎊
How Ghana National College, Cape Coast started;
The 28th February 1948 riots led to the arrest and detention of the UGCC leaders, the Big Six.
Students in Cape Coast staged protests against their arrest and detention. They called for their release and showed massive solidarity. In response, authorities of Mfantsipim School and St. Augustine's College sacked 150 of them. Yes a total of 150 of the students who participated in the protests were sacked. Four teachers were also dismissed (3 from St. Augustine's and 1 from Mfantsipim).
Nkrumah tabled a motion before the UGCC leaders after their release to intervene in the matter by setting up a school for the dismissed students. That motion was rejected. But he was convinced that something had to be done.
After talking with the dismissed teachers namely Mr. Kwesi Plange, Mr. Mensah-Kane, Mr HP Nelson and Mr HWK Sackeyfio, Nkrumah donated 10 pounds from his PERSONAL resources to start a new school for the 150 students and four teachers. With the 10 pounds and through the instrumentality of Kojo Botsio, the teachers made benches, blackboards, desks and other teaching and learning materials. They also rented Belgrave Hall in Cape Coast to begin classes.
On 19th July 1948, the first lessons began. The revered mathematician Professor Francis Allotey (late) was one of the first students enrolled.
This is how the GHANA NATIONAL COLLEGE was started.
Nkrumah was chastised by the other UGCC leaders for establishing the school.
Without this, Professor Allotey would probably not be educated and the world would probably not have benefitted from his bright mind as it has. He propounded the Allotey Formalism and is reported to be the first to bring computer education to Ghana with the establishment of the KNUST Computer Center. His colleagues, Professor Amoa-Oduro, Dr. Derban and others may have probably suffered the same fate.
The school sees Kwame Nkrumah as its FOUNDER. They call it Osagyefo's own school. The idea came from him and he put his own resources to seeing it through. Subsequently, many people would contribute to its growth e.g Alhaji Ali Baba, who offered a more spacious location at his residence in Siwdu in November that year and Charlotte Bart Plange, who in 1949 offered her sitting room for use as an office and conference room at Kawanopado and Kofi Nyaako's family, the Twidan family that donated the parcel of land where the school is currently located.
It is the true story of FOUNDING an institution.
*Lesson: Endeavour to do things for the benefit of others, things that do not directly benefit you."
Ghana National College Alumni
GHANA National College GUNSA
Ghana National College 2000 Group
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