By Mr. George Banin-Plockey
Each time I go to Ghana, I can’t help but pay a visit to Sectech, just to see the school and chat to
whoever I bump into. My last visit was April 2006.
I went to my old room house 2 room 4, it looked nothing like it was in my days, those days we slept 10 or
12 students to a room, but now it’s jam packed, sleeping about 30 to a room. There are beds everywhere and
not a single floor space to swing a cat in. Times have surely changed!!
It was late evening in April when I visited Sectech. I had gone to Koforidua on business and pleasure
trip, when the trading day was over, as I drove past the school I toyed with the idea whether to stop by
or not, how could I not? So I drove through those golden gates again, and sweet memories just flowed back
like it was just yesterday.
I met some of the students, form three’s mainly, and chatted with them in the house 2 drying yard area. We
talked about this and that for hours and I took some photo which I promised I would have them published
for all to see.
When I spoke to the guys, I was surprised to hear what they all wanted to be once they left school. Just
take a look at the list below.
| Name of Student |
Nickname |
What They Wanted |
| Henry Annang Odai |
Body |
Computer Scientist |
| Seidu Alhassan |
DJ Shy |
Pharmacist |
| Solomon Kabutey |
Fresher |
Architect |
| Osei Mensah Emma |
Mario |
Computer Engineer |
| Obeng Samuel |
Split |
Medicine |
| Alimo Philip Lawor |
Flexibee |
Mechanical Engineer |
| Elliot Sarkodie |
Stimoli |
Pharmacist |
| Bumekpor Clifford |
Sensible 57 |
Architect |
| Sukah Emmanuel |
Ferguson |
Architect |
| Sasu Enoch |
Sperm |
Pharmacist |
| Boatey Prince |
Shaken |
Computer Engineer |
| Owusu Terrence |
Skinny |
Civil Engineer |
| Abdul Ramana |
Caesar |
Cardiologist |
| Appenteng Drono |
Terror |
Naval Officer |
| Bortei Enoch |
Twespin |
Mechanical Engineer |
One thing, it’s nice to know that the old thing about nicknames still lives on. What is it that makes us
wanna be known by our nick names as soon as we get into boarding schools? Is it to feel cool or what? In
my days we had such strange nicknames as well and I remember these ones most, Spino, KP, State House,
Solee, Papito, Risky Mellow Music Maker, Wicked Biology, and the rest of them guys.
Whoever is reading this I say a big hello to all of you out there. We’ve gone from BOYS to MEN! And it was
only yesterday! IT’S SCARY HUH?
Another striking thing I noticed, that got me worried a bit was the choice of profession these kids wanted
to follow once they left school. Is our educational system letting us down somewhere along the way?
The kids all want to have nice cosy jobs, but knowing what I know now, I will argue that some of these
fine jobs in my own experience lead to poverty. They are jobs that require us to seek employment, and be
part of the RAT RACE forever, so I asked the kids, do you guys want to be SECURE, COMFORTABLE or RICH?
You should have heard them; they all shouted we want to be very RICH, so I asked again, if you want to be
very rich why are you choosing professions like these? Is it our educational system or parents grooming us
to go for jobs like these? Then I asked again, how come none of you here today want to own their own
business and yet you want to be very rich?
What I have noticed about the RAT RACE in my own experience after twenty years in Europe is that, the damn
thing left me almost penniless, otherwise POOR. The RAT RACE makes you SECURE and COMFORTABLE, but FEARFUL
and never RICH. Whereas when you seek to be RICH, SECURITY and COMFORT becomes almost automatic. But
people, don’t get me wrong. I have worked everyday of these twenty years, did I go wrong somewhere or is
it because I spent so many long years chasing Degrees, Masters and PhD’s instead of doing my ownthing?
Should I have been thought about BUSINESS and MONEY at school? I mean real MONEY, not the book keeping
ones we did back then and now! Like Investing!
I know MONEY is not everything and it won’t necessarily buy you happiness. But try this, the next time the
gas, electric, mortgage or loan repayments come in, don’t pay it, just sit tight for couple of days and
see what happens. With that note it seems MONEY is very important for our existence, if it is, WHY ARE WE
NOT THOUGHT ABOUT MONEY IN OUR SCHOOLS? It seems MONEY is pretty much like SEX, something your DADDY or
MUMMY will never talk to you about, but you are expected to know. Difficult huh?
Anyway, the core of the story is that, it seemed to me that the school system was grooming us to seek
employment rather then venturing out to be our own bosses, I draw this conclusion from my own experience
from school and after, and also from the little chat I had with the kids at SECTECH.
It’s important we know three things about money
How to make
How to keep
How to make it work for you rather than you working for it.
The visit got me thinking and I felt a bit sad for what might become of some of these kids after school,
the trend follows what became of us? If I knew then what I know now, what would have become of me now?
Would I have worked so HARD all these years or worked INTELLIGENTLY. Enjoy da snaps!! HOLA if you know
someone.
Let this not spoil your days, but keep in touch at plockeyg@yahoo.co.uk
Hey guys! Did you know that the dormitories have new names?
House One is Mark Bruce
House Two is Quarshie Sam
House Three is Croffie Hall
House Four is Akwabe Hall
This is for your information only, but then who are all these people?
|
