O n September 30, 2003 was the day when all SSS one students of Koforidua Secondary Technical School were to report to school. I was not all that happy going to leave my parents and enter into a boarding school. But I loved to be part of the Mmarimamma (Abusua Kese) family. At around 2.30 pm, I was at school and when I entered the school campus I was very impressed by the way the students were quietly seated in class.

My father went to the Administration block to collect my chit and was told I was in House 3 (Croffie Hall) and he drove me there. When we got to the house, the house master registered me and assigned me to a room (Gonja Barracks) the slogan means the barracks where prisoners are trained. I went to the chop box room to put my trunk down and went to my room. When I entered the room, there were three seniors who asked of my name and I answered them. After, I excused them and went out.

Whiles I was walking around the campus, I saw a former classmate I completed JSS with. I was very happy to see him and again I was in the same house with him, but unfortunately I was not in the same room with him. He came to my room saw a senior who was his friend, so we thought we were saved. Rather he was having a friend who was bad, harassing form one students who were in the same room with me. This senior called me and asked me why am I handsome than him and told me to kneel down. Later he asked me what I said and I said Accra told me to sleep on the floor and tears started dropping from my eyes. My friend left me because he was afraid he may be asked to join me. I slept on the floor for not more than thirty munites.

The following day this senior told me that he was going to inspect the things which were in my trunk. I refused and he lashed me and I gave my keys to him and he opened it. My trunk was loaded with all sort of provisions from cornflakes, rich tea etc. Indeed, it could be compared to a store. When he opened my trunk he fell hungry on the spot. I was asked to prepare "adamp" but I didn't know what "adamp" was and he told me it was gari, shai(shito), tins(corned beef and sardine) but we were going to have a room "cho" and he prepared it. I was suprised at the way he opened the corned beef with a spoon. After, he invited his friends and they all rushed for the food and did not invite me. I was very much annoyed for not inviting me. I stood there with uncontrollable tears and watched my food go down the wrong throats and that provisions was to sustain me for the whole term.

After this I thought that it was the end of my troubles little did I know that there were more ahead of me. During Saturday inspections, the way we were beign lashed was uncontrollable and after inspection we were always asked to kneel down with our white shorts and shirts.

One Sunday at 6:30 am, the beel rang for church service. All the "ninos" prayed to God and danced. After the church service, the chief prefect asked all first years to kneel down and the "Big Six" thus the chief prefect, assistant chief prefect, the general prefect and his assistant, and the Dining hall prefect and his assistant, started to lash the form ones and the music you hear is "pa - pa - pa" the cassette beign played out by the "Big Six". This was our punishment for not working in our various houses before coming to church service.

I always wondered and anxiously waited for the day the new SSS ones would come to take my place. An experience I had whic was inhuman.

George Lutterodt
M 2I

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