Agyemfra House, Benkum School

Agyemfra House, Benkum School

After Bizarro had calmed Benji down, we drove a few kilometres along the Mamfe road, to see the Benkum Senior High School – one of the best in the nation, with more than 1300 students, two thirds of them girls. The point of our visit was to see Agyemfra House (for girls) named after Nana. Another link was that my one-time neighbour, Dr Asiedu Ofei, had a science building at the school named after him. We met Danso Wilson, a friendly  teacher who had been there for six years and who was glad to show us around. He told us that the boys were dominated by the girls and consequently did not try hard, except in the science subjects. Students apply for admission to the schools of their choice after their junior high school results come out; the government allocates places but students may request a change.

We were cordially welcomed by the two assistant headmasters – one for administration and one for academic matters. Education remains a high priority, as indeed it is throughout the world, for students and their parents. I was proudly told that Larteh now has six fully-enrolled high schools: three are managed by churches, (Presbyterian, Anglican and Methodist) but funded by the government, and another is Peace and Love private school. In the 1960s, there was only the middle school.

We drove on to Mampong, to see the Centre for Scientific Research on Traditional Medicine (CSRTM), where Stephen, a pharmacist who had been there for twenty-five years, showed us the impressive herbarium, where over a thousand indigenous plants have been analysed. In contrast to the approach to traditional medicines that I had seen in other African countries, CSRTM was rigorously scientific. The staff were all well trained and they did not hesitate to use orthodox medications if traditional remedies did not help; they sell many traditional medicines at a low cost. The whole scene was most impressive, clean and orderly, with an air of efficiency and compassion – in stark contrast to so many medical facilities in Africa . As we were leaving, a small boy, four or five years old and impeccably dressed in white, said, in perfect English, “Please will you tie my shoes?” Bizarro obliged him.