St Augustine’s College marks 85th anniversary

The Executive Chairman of Dalex Africa Group, Mr Alex Kwasi Bruks, has called on the Ministry of Education to incorporate entrepreneurship into the curricula of schools.

That, he said, would provide students with business ideas to harness their talents and energise their skills in a manner that could help them start their own businesses after school.  

The anniversary

Addressing the 85th Speech and Prize-giving Day of the St Augustine’s College, Cape Coast, last Saturday, Mr Bruks underscored the need to develop young people with innovative ideas to help solve the myriad of challenges confronting the country.

It was on the theme: “21st Century: The Age of Innovation, Transformation and Entrepreneurship”.

He said historically, the country’s educational system had been theoretical, except perhaps the focus on Science and Business, with majority of graduates learning on the job.

He identified poor English grammar in schools and stressed the need for the situation to be addressed.

He said the setback being suffered by the country was due to what he described as lack of innovative and creative ideas and stressed the need to “develop positive mental attitudes and start to believe we can and never say ‘we can’t’”.

“Ghana needs innovative and creative ideas to solve our problems. We need to develop new indigenous products,” he said.

Mr Bruks bemoaned the manner in which the country went to “sleep” after Dr Kwame Nkrumah constructed the Akosombo Dam and “now we have to suffer for it”.

He, therefore, stressed the need to develop young transformational leaders capable of turning ideas into reality.

Choosing careers

Mr Bruks urged the students to discover themselves, know their weaknesses, choose career paths, work at them and get motivated to enable them to achieve their goals.

The Headmaster of the school, Mr Joseph Connel, appealed to the government to expedite work on the additional dormitory under construction.

He commended the past students and the parent-teacher association for their support towards the development of the school.

He announced that one of the students, Master Blaykyi Kenya, a Science student, was adjudged the second best candidate in Ghana and West Africa in the 2014 WASSCE.

The Metropolitan Archbishop of Cape Coast, the Most Reverend Mathias Nketsiah, said emphasis on Science education, to the detriment of the Arts, Humanities and Religion, had reduced the search for permanent values.

He commended the college for upholding the Catholic Church’s vision of education.

The Central Regional Minister, Mr Aquinas Tawiah Quansah, called on the youth to adopt innovative ways of doing things that would help transform the economy.

Students and staff who excelled were rewarded, with Master Kingsley Otchere Adu being adjudged the overall best student.