Established in the year 2017, the Saint Thomas Aquinas Preparatory School, Wiaga in the Builsa North Municipality of the Upper East Region is setting a pace to improve the quality of education in the district and the region.
The school which admitted just 17 students with 4 teachers during its establishment can now boast of 315 students starting from the crèche to primary 5, 10 teaching staff and 3 non-teaching staff.
The Proprietor of the school, Thomas Awiapo, a native of the deprived community who shared his life experience with the media said he was obliged to attend school during his childhood days purposely to get sorghum to eat in the school since his poverty-stricken family could not have afforded him 3 square meal a day.
Mr. Awiapo who rose to earn a Master’s in Public Administration and works with the Catholic Relief Services (CSR) stated that he finds delight in giving back to the community he strived to become the better person he is today by establishing the school to improve the quality of education there.
“It is not by my own making, it is purely the grace of God and the goodness of people who were willing to support someone who was struggling in life. So I feel blessed and being blessed, I want to give back to my community. To those that more is given, more is expected and that is the one big reason that motivated me to establish the school. And also knowing that education is certainly one of the tools for liberating families, individuals, and communities so I had that opportunity to start the school.”
Driving its name from a philosopher and a Catholic Priest, the proprietor said the vision of Saint Thomas Aquinas Preparatory School, Wiaga is not to train only “academic giants but to inculcate moral values into the society, worthy citizens for the communities and the country”.
He said with the support of friends based in Ghana and abroad notably in the United States, the school is well resourced in terms of teaching and learning materials and the teachers who are well motivated are constantly taking through in-service training to deliver their best.
Located in a serene environment to offer the quality of education it desires, St. Thomas Aquinas Preparatory School, Wiaga offers a free ride to students from deprived families while others have been provided with bicycles to ease the transportation challenges.
To aid Ghana to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) 4 by 2030 on inclusive and equitable quality education, the St. Thomas Aquinas Preparatory School, Wiaga also provides scholarships to students from poor families.
The school currently has 10 computers for the teaching and learning of Information and Communications Studies (ICT) with a spacious playground to nurture student’s talents.
The proprietor who spoke to A1 Radio appealed for support to furnish the school’s library with books to encourage the spirit of reading.
While calling on philanthropic organizations and individuals to support the school to establish a science laboratory, Mr. Awiapo who said the road network that links the school to the community becomes unmotorable especially during the rainy season, called for support to get it fixed.
Roland Ajiabadek Apindem, the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) Chairman of the St. Thomas Aquinas Preparatory School, Wiaga said the school is one of the best schools in the Builsa North Municipality.
“Everybody is yearning to bring his/her child here. It is a school that is well disciplined and it is strict on time. When it is 7:30 am the gate is locked and once you are caught with time, you have to send your child home. Parents have a cordial relationship with the teachers and anytime there is an issue regarding a child, the school has a record of the parents and the parents are always contacted. If it had to do with health care, the school authorities sometimes take the child to the hospital before the parents arrive.”
Adding, Mr. Apindem said the school operates an open-door policy that allows parents to enquire about the welfare and progress of their wards.
Speaking on behalf of the parents, the PTA Chairman said the fee of the school is affordable and moderate for the parents to afford for the quality of tuition provided at the school.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Joshua Asaah
