The 1984 year group of Wa Senior High School (WASEC) has donated dining hall furniture worth GH¢96,000 to the school.
The donation, comprising 80 tables and 160 benches made of plywood and metal, was officially handed over to the school on Wednesday as part of the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) Week celebrations.
The Headmaster of the school, Iddrisu Adams Thirdman, who received the items, described this year’s celebration as unique. He said the furniture would go a long way towards easing pressure on the school’s dining hall.
The Wa Municipal Chairman of the Wa Secondary School Old Students Association (WASOSA), Dr Solomon Dansie, said the school’s dining hall was built in the 1980s to serve about 700 students but currently caters for more than 2,000 students, with only 25 tables and benches.
He said he raised the challenge on the WASOSA national platform, where it was taken up by a member of the 1984 Year Group based in the United States, Seydu Mahama Sumani.
Speaking on behalf of the group, alumni representative Laweh Emmanuel said Mr Sumani led the group and spearheaded the project to its successful completion under the leadership of the group’s Chairman, Alhaji Mohamed Ahmed.
Mr Laweh said the school had shaped their lives through discipline, resilience, love and lifelong friendship, making it their responsibility to give back.
Dr Dansie noted that almost all members of the 1984 Year Group were retirees and described their contribution as a major sacrifice.
The Headmaster also used the occasion to appeal to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, who is constructing a 2,000-capacity auditorium for the school, to consider the need for a bigger facility.
He said the student population was less than 2,000 when the project began but had since grown to nearly 3,000, adding that the school would soon need a bigger auditorium.
The 1984 Year Group urged current students to take good care of the furniture and, in turn, give back to the school when they complete their education.