A legend passes

The English man whom Otumfuo Nana Prempeh II hired to build the first secondary school in the Asante Region, Reverend Sidney Nelson Pearson died today in Dundee, Scotland. He was 87.

In his early 20s, having decided on a career in teaching and theology, Pearson was instructed by the Presbyterian Scottish Missionary to go to a country he had never heard off and manage a school - which was yet to be built. He attended a meeting in Scotland in 1938 when he was an English teacher in Northern England. At this meeting, he was urged by a Minister to "consider West Africa."

The late Pearson and his wife went to Ghana to "answer their calling" at a time when there were only 9 secondary schools in the entire nation, with 20,000 pupils vying for admissions into them. The 1000 brightest children were selected in a bidding program by the nine Headmasters, and the unlucky 19, 000 were sent home to pursue other options. The King drew a gloomy picture of the state of education in the country and decided that something had to be done.

The "father of Prempeh College" teamed up with the then Asantehene and established the College with a sum of 350,000 pounds sterling from the Asante Royal coffers.

When the King took him to an old military hospital facility in Sofoline, Kumasi, where the school was to be built, he told Pearson, "there it is." Pearson replied, "but it's a field with a little wooden building." The King smiled and answered, "yes, you're here to build the school." "All I could do was just stand there with my hands on my hips thinking what I have I got myself into," Pearson recently recounted before his death.

He established Prempeh College in 1949 and served as its first Headmaster until Christmas eve of 1952 when his heart collapsed and he received a bleak prognosis. He was sent home "to die" then, but he surprised everyone with his tough spirit, living into the 21st century and seeing Prempeh College turn 50.

Though he suffered another heart attach a few weeks ago and had been very frail, he celebrated his 87th birthday just last Saturday. He suddenly took ill this morning and was taken into Ninewells Hospital in Dundee and as the day wore on his condition deteriorated. He died peacefully at 17.45 hours GMT today, January 24, 2002, survived by his daughter Wendy and son Keith (who is on record as being the first white baby born in Asante), and their children.

The current Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who enrolled at the Royal School before being transferred to another (out of a discomfort of being influenced by the many royals who were at the school at that time), recently honoured Rev. Pearson (1916-2003) for his contribution towards advancement of education in Ghana as a whole.

Ghanaian President J.A Kufuor is one of the fruits of Pearson's labour.

He will be missed.