In case our visitors have ever wondered how we ended up here at Prempeh College, then
this is the answer: We survived a Gold Rush.
All the people want to see whether their names or that of their wards are there
Prempeh is the school notoriously difficult for getting accepted into. Every year, thousands of
boys apply but only a few get chosen. This is the annual Gold Rush.
Getting into Prempeh isn't easy. It
has never been easy since 1949. But 2004 was the worst, when we set a record for the most competitive admission program.
September 2004 saw Prempeh record the most competitive admission for boys in all Ghanaian schools. With just over 500 seats
available in Prempeh's first year class, thousands showed up on campus looking to see if they've been admitted.
A record 2400 students chose Prempeh, of which 2000 had a strong Aggregate 6. The Headmaster was required by a national mandate to accept only 500 students
Eventhough it poured heavily on the day that the admission list was placed, parents and students defied the rains and came to look at the list.
The press often joke about the difficult position of a Prempeh headmaster during the
admissions season. Some Prempeh headmasters often feign illness or turn off their phones and leave town
to evade the spectacle of family members, friends, politicians and royal households asking for favours
in the selection proccess.
But who can blame the public for their fascination with this Royal School? They want their
sons to become a part of it because of the incredible fame and the achievements of the
Prempeh grads.
The Director-General of Ghana Health Services, President of the Ghana Medical Association,
the deans of all the nation's Medical Schools, the WHO's Asst. Director-General, The President of the West African College of Surgeons,
The Chief Executice of the Komfo Anokye Hospital and the Chief of Surgery at that same hospital are all Prempeh Old Boys.
Record crowd
Because Prempeh has produced more doctors than any other school in the country, boys who fall sick and consult a physician at an early age develop
an affection for Prempeh because nearly all the doctors they meet went to this school.
And the fact that the President himself is an Amanfoo helps fuel this annual gold rush.
That we send more students to the Universities than any other school in the land also contributes to
this Gold Rush. In 2005, we sent a national record 441 students to the first-year class of the Kwame
Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, making up 7% of the university's freshman class. Our closest rival presented
121 students less. In 2004, we topped the ranking again but with only 286 students in the first year class.
While getting here is very difficult, staying here is equally tough. There is a 50% rule that could spell doom for any boy who fails
to take his studies seriously. The rule is that we must all get an average of 50% on examinations to qualify to remain here.
Traditionally, 40% mark has been the rule at Sofoline, but Headmaster Owusu-Achiaw wants to elevate the standard immensely. Boys are constantly reminded by the fierce competition in the classroom
that they could soon become known as "former Prempeh students" if they do not study seriously.
