The 1985 year group of Ghana Secondary School (GHANASS) in Koforidua, Eastern Region, has handed over two major projects to their alma mater: a mechanised borehole water system and a toilet facility.

The initiative forms part of the group’s 40th anniversary celebration of completing school.

At the inauguration ceremony, the president of the group, Akua Asor Anyimadu, said it was the responsibility of alumni to support their school in meaningful ways that set an example for students.

“It’s been 40 years since we left school, and we decided to come back and give back to our alma mater. We believe that this project will go a long way to help the school. The toilet facility comes with a septic tank, renovated washroom, and an overhead tank, which can serve the purpose for the project. We want to ask the school and the students to take good care of it because the problem of maintenance culture in our country is quite a problem,” she explained.

The project committee chairman of the year group noted that challenges with social infrastructure, particularly after the introduction of the Free SHS programme, motivated them to undertake the projects.

“Our secondary schools are now inundated with a lot of challenges with the introduction of the Free SHS concept, which in itself is a very good thing. However, provisions of facilities have not matched up with the increase in population, so in the celebration of our 40th year after leaving school as GHANASS ’85 year group, we decided to take on a project in the school,” he said.

Assistant Headmaster Felix Pascal commended the group for the gesture, describing it as a timely intervention that would help address challenges affecting teaching and learning.

He also encouraged other year groups to emulate the example.

“We have a high population and the government is doing its best to support the schools, but this school belongs to different stakeholders, including old students, who are part of it. So from time to time, they visit the school to support the government in solving the problems,” he stated.