Santa '88' Awards To Improve Academic Performance

Mr. Herbert Kwesi Krufi Graham, Headmaster of Adisadel College, has praised Santa 88, the 1988 Year Group of the school, for instituting awards to boost the morale of teachers.

He said the awards, which have sparked off keen competition among the teaching staff have motivated the teaching staff to give off their best to win the prizes and improve on the academic results of the school.

Mr. Graham made these comments in a telephone interview with this reporter from his Cape Coast office in Ghana, after Santa 88 had presented awards to deserving teachers at the school’s 97th Speech and Prize-Giving Day.

Dubbed the ‘Class of ‘88’ Teaching Awards Program’, the group has instituted three awards, including, The Academic Excellence Award, The Most Improved Teacher Award and the Best All-Round Teacher Award.

Mr. Samuel Komla Akator won the Best All-Round Teacher Award and was given a cash prize of $500 and a plague while Mr. Isaac K. Boateng won The Most Improved Teacher Award. Mr. Boateng went home with a cash prize of $250 and a plague. No one won The Academic Excellence Award, which has a cash prize of $500(or $1000 if 90% of the students attained an AI) and a plague, this year. Santa 88 also presented sporting goods totaling $1,500 to the school.

Continuing, Mr. Graham said with the awards, the school expects to do much better at this year’s final examinations.

‘In 2006, the school achieved 93% at the West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and I believe that these awards would motivate the teachers and even the students to enable the school to achieve 100% at the WASSCE ’.

He praised Santa 88 for their efforts and said he was personally touched by their gesture because ‘ I taught some of them when I was a teacher and molded some of them as a Housemaster (of Hamlyn House) and to see that they’re now helping their school in such a big way gives me great joy’, he said.

In a follow-up interview with Mr. Charles Bartels Quansah, President of the US chapter of Santa 88, he said the group was motivated by a passion to give something back to the school and also to motivate the teaching staff to enhance academic excellence in the school. ‘If we (santaclausians) are doing well in life, then it is because of the invaluable education, training and support we received from the school so we have to give something back to our alma mater’.

He explained that the Awards were in direct response to an appeal Mr. Graham had made to old students in North America to assist the school when he visited last year.

‘So, Santa 88 decided to focus on the individuals (teachers) whom parents have entrusted with the primary responsibility of training and educating their children by instituting these awards to motivate the teachers to give off their best and ultimately produce excellent graduates for the school, their parents and mother Ghana’.

Mr. Quansah said the awards were being bankrolled by members’ contributions and praised Santa 88 members for their timely contributions and support.