Don’t be victims of change - students urged

The acting Senior Manager of the Volta River Authority (VRA) Academy, Mr. Eric Mensah-Bonsu, has admonished students to endeavour to be agents of change and avoid becoming victims of change.

He posited that the world in the 21st century was changing rapidly, and characterized by enormous life challenges, as well as some prospects “but the contemporary youth, if not guided properly, could end up becoming victims, instead of drivers of change.”

Mr. Mensah-Bonsu gave the advice when the Akosombo International School (AIS) held a graduation ceremony for 173 students of the school.

He urged the youth to learn to say ‘no’ at certain critical times in their lives, especially on acts of social vices, so that they would not find themselves becoming victims of changes happening in life.

“As young adults, appraise issues or things before you take any action, and you must endeavour to focus on the few things that you can do and do well; never flank yourselves on so many things that you cannot accomplish in life,” he said.

Mr Mensah-Bonsu reminded parents of their critical role in supporting their wards, to effect the change needed for national development.

He urged parents to encourage their wards, by using positive words on them to boost their self-esteem, to enable them forge ahead and become whoever they really want to be in their adult lives.

The headmaster of the school, Mr. Julius Kog-Der, said in spite of some of the success chalked by the school, in giving holistic education to the students, inadequate infrastructure continued to limit the school in offering admission to more students.

Appreciating the efforts of the Parents-Teacher Association (PTA) and the Old Students Association (AISOSA) in elevating the standard of the school, he appealed for more dormitories, computers and computer laboratory, to boost the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the school.

He said the SHS population currently stood at 655 students, made up of 314 boys and 341 girls, with a mix of students from other African countries, as well as the Unites States of America, Korea and China.

The headmaster thanked Lancaster University Ghana and Webster University Ghana, for offering and awarding scholarship packages for the best graduating business student and best graduating arts student respectively.

Mr. Kog-Der disclosed that for AIS to remain competitive, it would soon introduce among other programmes the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGSCE) and the Cambridge Advanced Level, as a full time alternative to the Ghana Education Service (GES) programmes.

He disclosed that beginning 2017, the AIS would expand the SHS division to Aboadze in the Western Region, by which time the two alternative programmes would have started in full swing concurrently.

During special awards presentation, the female graduating students swept all the awards.

Miss Emmanuelina Ohene-Adutwum was adjudged the best student in the Sciences, while Miss Audrey Owusu-Gyamera was best student for the Social Sciences, with Miss Etornam Ahiator taking the best vocational skills student award.

Miss Baratu Titaka Nyari was awarded the best science student, Miss Rhoda Essinam Badu was adjudged the

Best-behaved student, while Miss Frederica Klenam Goni was awarded the hardworking female student.

Miss Diana Naa Brown was also awarded for her dexterity in combining academic exercises with extra-curricular activities effectively.

Miss Rebecca Oyefemi Daisy Oyewo, who was adjudged the best Arts student, received GH¢1,000.00 and a scholarship package from the Webster University, Ghana.

Miss Elizabeth Asante was also adjudged the best Business student, and she received an amount of 2,100 Ddollars as her prize, and a scholarship package from the Lancaster University Ghana.

Master Elis Ben-Baffour, was the only male to receive an award for being the hardworking male student.