Ketasco @ 72

Keta Senior High Technical School was founded on Friday, February 27, 1953.

It was originally called Keta Day Secondary School.

The school started in a rented room at the home of the Kudjanu family at Dzelukope, with twenty-five (25) students comprising 17 boys and 8 girls.

The first headmaster of the school was Mr Nathan Quao. 

The motto of the school is “Dzo la li”, which literally translates “Fly Now.”

The motto is inspired by a story about an eagle eating with chicks that was noticed by a visitor.

The visitor urged the eagle “to fly high in the sky where it belongs” and eventually the eagle responded to the visitor’s call.

The school founders were inspired by this story and set up KETASCO.

The eagle at the school’s main gate is a reminder for students to be like the eagle.

The response to the motor is “Now or Never.”

Students are reminded to soar like an eagle and fly higher and higher.

The founding fathers of the school include Rev. Dr F.K. Fiawoo, Mr Nathan Quao and Mr Sosthene Sorkpor.

With increase in student population of the school there was the need to acquire more land to expand the school.

Some notable chiefs such as Togbi Dzelu III and Togbi Tay Agbozo III were contacted and they willingly released land for the school.

Other families that released land were Adjorlolo, Kuleke and Kumaple.

On November 4, 1960 the then Minister of Finance, Mr K.A. Gbedemah, laid the foundation stone at the present site for the building of some school blocks.

This was followed later by a visit by Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the then President of the Republic, to the compound on December 21, 1960, where he planted the Indian almond tree which still stands as a historic monument providing nostalgic memories and a good shade for staff, students and visitors.

In 1961, under Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s “Accelerated Educational policy”, the school moved from the rented premises to its present and permanent site.

Under pressure from the Governing Board of the school, the Government of Ghana handed over Management of the school to the Ghana Education Trust.

The Ghana Education Trust thereafter took over the construction of the buildings of the school at the new site.

1967

In 1967 the first batch of Sixth Form students were admitted into the school.

They comprised 28 boys and three girls.

This decision brought in its wake the introduction of boarding facilities in the school leading to the admission of both day and boarding students thereafter.

Currently, the student population of the school is 4,690, with 209 staff (178 teaching and 31 non-teaching).

The school runs seven programmes in all for students.

They include General Science, General Arts, Agriculture, Visual Arts, Business, Home Economics and Technical.

Ketasco has over the years contributed to the production of quality human resource for the Ghanaian and Global Community.

The alumni of the school occupy very important positions in various fields such as medicine, law, administration, art, commerce, Agribusiness, industry etc.

Ketasco has chalked up many successes in the field of academics.

The school is now a household name as a result of its remarkable performance at the National Science and Maths Quiz Competitions.

The school has been to the semi-finals of the competition seven times and at the grand finals on two occasions where we won bronze in each case.

The school is well known in other competitions such as Independence Day Quiz and Debate competitions, Stemnovation, Sharks Quiz Competition and Public Speaking Competition among others.

Sprite Ball

Apart from academics, Ketasco is also a force to be reckoned with in co-curricular activities.

For example, Ketasco had won the Sprite Ball, a national secondary school Basketball competition, on two occasions.

Ketasco again is the current Zonal champion in the South Zone inter-school sports competition, a position that the school has held for the past three consecutive years.

Ketasco is also the current champion as far as music and cultural festival competitions in the South Zone are concerned.

The school is currently grappling with some challenges which include the following:

i. Absence of an assembly hall complex
ii. The school has no pick-up vehicle to perform administrative functions.
iii. Inadequate washrooms for the large number of students on campus.
iv. Absence of fence walls around the girls’ dormitory block.
v. Inadequate metal bunk beds for use by the students.
vi. Inadequate bungalow for staff.

Keta Senior High Technical School has developed in leaps and bounds over the years from a humble beginning of a student population of 25 with a headmaster and two staff in rented premises in 1953, to a current student population of over 4,600 with 209 staff in well-developed permanent premises.

Dzola lali ! Now or never!

— The writer is the Headmaster, KETASCO