Opening Reception was held by the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) at the residence of Kobla Glakpe ’67 Gaithersburg, MD., to welcome the participants and the invited guests from Ghana to the OMSU North America 8th Annual Congress.

 

At 10.00am, the President, Evans Afenya (‘76), called the general meeting to order and Rev. Frank “Zuta” Anku ’73 was called upon for the opening prayer. The “standing orders” for the conduct of the meeting was introduced by the president, after which all members in attendance to the general meeting took turns to briefly introduce themselves. The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) Chair Kobla Glakpe welcomed members to the 2010 Congress. The Secretary, Divine Amoah ‘79, read the summary of the minutes from the May 2009 meeting. Kobla Glakpe motioned for the minutes to be accepted and was seconded by Selete Avoke ’78; it was approved and accepted unanimously.

 

-          Message from the Moderator of the E.P. Church, was delivered by Rev. Anku, Chairman Mawuli School Board of Directors.  (See attachment A).

-          Message delivered by the Volta Regional Director of Education, Mr. Gabriel S. Kploanyi ‘73. (See attachment B).

-          Message delivered by the Headmaster of Mawuli School Mr. Osei-Nyansah. (See attachment C).

-          Message from the OMSU-Ghana President, Dr. Ruby Avotri (’70), was read by Edna Agbelie (’79). (See attachment D).

-          Words of encouragement were delivered by David Tay ’55 from Toronto, Canada (the senior-most person in attendance). 

-          Slide presentation of the OMSU-NA Financial Report for the 2009/10 was presented by the Financial Secretary Rowland Atiase ’68. Details of the financial report are attached herein.

-          State of the Union and OMSU-NA activities update was presented by OMSU-NA President Evans Afenya ’76 in which the following were highlighted: 1) OMSU-NA now has about 148 members who have paid dues and donations at one time or another. The aim is to have ALL North American Mawulians paying their dues and donations every year. Upon this basis, an appeal was made to all members of OMSU-NA to “plug” the holes in their contributions profile (spreadsheets) over the years. The spreadsheets showed the years an individual missed his or her payments. Any OMSU-NA member who wants to see the details of his or her contributions profile should contact the President.  2) OMSU-NA programs and projects at Mawuli School: a) slide presentation of the current OMSU-NA project at the school, i.e., the emergency complete rehabilitation and renovation of the bathhouse and toilets at Aku House for use by students who were displaced by the fire outbreak at the girls’ dormitory. For complete photo report on this project, visit the OMSU Website (www.omsu.org). b) OMSU-NA will continue with developments at the school that bolster academic performance of students and boost excellent teaching. The president challenged the new headmaster and the new school board to rise up to the occasion of recapturing the Mawuli glory by guaranteeing that the school first achieves 50% to 70% passing rate in the top grades of A1, B2, B3, and C4 in the next two to three years. He pledged OMSU-NA’s fullest support in this quest.  3) Welcome, Acknowledgements, and Appreciation: The president welcomed to the congress, Rev. Anku, Chairman, Mawuli School Board of Directors, Volta Regional Director of Education, Mr. Gabriel S. Kploanyi, and Headmaster of Mawuli School, Mr. Osei-Nyansah. He then proceeded to acknowledge and show appreciation to the following for their continued dedication to Mawuli School and the ideals and goals of OMSU-NA: a) All the members of the 2010 Congress Local Organizing Committee, b) All members of the OMSU-NA Executive Council and Board of Directors, c) Mr. Theo Afenya (OMSU-NA Projects Representative in Ghana), d) Ms. Edem Djanie, Mr. Larry Doe, and other teachers of Mawuli School, e) Dr. Michael Gyamerah, f) Mr. Ludwig Hlodze, g) Mr. Bebaako-Mensah, h) Prof. Mawutor Avoke, and i) Ms. Michelle Afenya.

 

-          1979-year group: Elliott Rennison ’79 announced that 1979 year intends to continue the “Best All Round Teacher of the Year” awards of 200 Ghana Cedis.

-          1990-year group:  Prince Hodogbey ’90 expressed his vote of thanks to his mates on the LOC and also announced that they were selling 60th anniversary pins at the congress to raise funds and that the group is contemplating a project at Mawuli School to commemorate their 20th year of leaving Mawuli.

  Mawuli Fund: Yao Ababio ’77 announced that the fund has a balance of $30,000.00; and that their expenditure over the past ten years on Mawuli is about $20,000.00.

-          1983-year group: Dzifa Segbefia ’83 reported that their year group sent some electric bulbs to the former administration to be used in the student areas and all of it disappeared without trace.  

 

 

A)   In line with the issues raised in the various breakout sessions enumerated below, OMSU-NA will continue working on projects and programs at Mawuli School that directly impact student learning, performance, and achievement with the aim of making the school regain its glory. With the 60th anniversary of Mawuli School around the corner, the next OMSU-NA project after the emergency bath-house renovation at Aku House will be work on the Corridor 3 area and the area adjoining the home science lab and current library. These areas serve as the main gateway to the school and need serious facelifts.

B)   OMSU-NA to issue press release on the congress activities to be published in Ghana.

 

 

The Break-Out Session on Academic & Educational Issues comprised twenty-four members, including the Headmaster, and was facilitated by Dr. Selete Kofi Avoke. The group was tasked to explore ways to focus the educational strategic plan on the students, enhance their development as citizens such as will reflect the mission of Mawuli School; how to increase and improve the quality of student learning and recognize and appropriately reward excellence. With regards to teaching, focus was on how to encourage teachers to be effective and what types of reward systems could be put in place to enhance their performance. The group was also tasked with coming up with ways to more effectively utilize alumni resources and experiences, and increase the PTA’s long-term participation in building Mawuli School.

 

In the discussions that followed, on student development, suggestions included the following: -

·         Instituting the “Order-of-merit system” where ranking test results for all students by class are posted on the notice board for all to see. The expectation was that this would engender competition among students and thereby increase their desire to work harder in their studies. The Headmaster informed the group that this was already being done, though some parents had some “African mentality” about it. There were suggestions that, added to the ranking and posting of results, appropriate rewards should be given to outstanding students on the list.

·         Increase the quality of the student intake by only admitting high quality passes from the applicant pool. It was explained that the School Authorities had no control over that because the admissions list was a computerized product coming out of the Ministry of Education under the “CSSPS” system that is in use in Ghana now.

·         It was suggested therefore that Placement Tests should be conducted for the students to determine their strengths and weaknesses, so that teachers could then determine and plan more strategic and specific study plans for the students’ entire period of study in Mawuli School. All agreed that this would be a sure way of producing excellence in Mawuli School

·         The one most important issue that the group felt most affected student performance was indiscipline and the open borders (gates) of Mawuli School. With the proportion of day students being greater than boarders, students walk in and out at will and loiter during classes and prep; thus the commitment to scholastic activity is seen to be lacking. The group was of the view that student performance would be greatly enhanced once these were reigned in.

·         Motivational visits from alumni were also to be encouraged. There are many Mawulians in high places and enviable professional positions all over Ghana and in the diaspora. A process should be put in place where once or twice a term such alumni are invited to speak to students about their professions and the paths of study required getting into the various professions.

 

With respect to teacher performance, the realization was that Mawuli School, and for that matter Ghana, does not have the system of 360-degree evaluation that exists elsewhere, neither do they have any system of institutionalized student feed-back on teacher performance. It was therefore suggested that: -

·         A more effective system of teacher evaluation should be put in place such as would be dependent upon or correlated with student performance, with appropriate incentives for star performers as well as sanctions for non-performers being developed alongside. The Headmaster mentioned that something was in the works.

·         To the extent possible, internships should be arranged with the high performing schools for the Assistants to the Headmaster to introduce them to the processes and procedures that enable those schools to achieve student excellencies, so they can emulate those processes and procedures in Mawuli School.

·         More systems of motivation and recognition for teachers should be established and improved. It was acknowledged that OMSU had a system in place; though the system could be expanded.

The Role of the PTA: It was recognized that the PTA had had problems with the School Authorities in the past, principally in relation to how their funds were being managed. With the new changes in the School Administration, the group was informed that agreement had been reached between the PTA and the School Administration that the mistakes of the past will not be repeated and that there would be transparency and accountability in the management of the PTA’s funds going forward. It is therefore expected that the PTA will be playing its required role in the development and progress of Mawuli School and its students.

Finally, the group agreed that it was important to change the mindset of both students and teachers – teachers to be vested in turning out students of excellence and students to be vested in achieving excellence and aiming to be productive professionals in the larger society.

 

There were about fourteen members participating in this break-out session on Infrastructural Overhaul & Maintenance; and we had the good fortune to have the Volta Regional Director of Education, Mr. G.S. Kploanyi contributing to the discussions with great insight as the person with firsthand knowledge of the deplorable situation of the infrastructure at Mawuli. As we all know, the main buildings and supporting structures at Mawuli School is well over fifty years old and due to lack thereof or little maintenance, this session was tasked to understand the current maintenance culture that exist at the school and find ways to improve it and also to identify all the areas and items that needs maintenance and refurbishment; safe and secure environment also helps to improve quality of students’ learning and this translates into a better overall grades.

Session discussion shed some light on the fact that Mawuli School has maintenance crew known as “Estate Officers” and these officers are tasked to do maintenance work such as plumbing, electrical, building maintenance “when materials are available”; and these building materials almost always are not available.

From the discussions, it was agreed that to be able to carry out effective and proper maintenance of the current infrastructure, administration culture and attitudes needs to change and be proactive to provide the proper planning and scheduling through the inventory of all items that needs repairs and renovation.

 

The following are areas that need special attention:

 

 

In the area of growth and needs assessment, discussion was based on headmaster’s strategic vision address, which essentially outlined the following:

 

·         Rehabilitate and refurbish old dormitories for boys including new bathroom and toilet fixtures.

·         Rehabilitate and refurbish old classroom blocks and the science labs

·         Staff residences needs rehabilitation and renovation.

·         The roads/streets needs repairs and resurfacing

·         The lawn tennis and basket ball courts needs rebuilding to be functional.

·         300 bed girls’ dormitory under construction to be completed.

·          Needs for more classroom space.

·         Fence project to be completed (construction still in progress).

·         Assembly Hall Complex construction in progress

·         Resource Centre for the Blind Students in progress

·         New administration and Library block construction in progress

 

3.    STRATEGIC PLANNING, ORGANIZATIONAL OVERHAUL, & 60th ANNIVERSARY ISSUES

·         See proposed OMSU organizational chart attachment E.

 

 

After going through the report by the special finance committee on fundraising strategies by the "small group"

 

This was the discussion/ suggestion/ by the small group members:

 

Concerns to improve PLEDGE PAYMENTS: Emphasize on membership, OMSU-NA budget is based on pledges, so pledges must be taken seriously.

 

Platinum - $20,000

Diamond- $15,000

Gold--------$10,000

Silver-------$5,000 (e.g. a year group can donate and have the list of donors on plaques to be displayed)

 

 Year groups should be encouraged to adopt speech and prize giving days.

 MEMBERS should be encouraged to put Mawuli School as a beneficiary on their life insurance policies.

Strategies to reach out to a wider group of Mawulians.

PayPal Payment should be encouraged - it is safe and secure!!!

Improve website and encourage non Mawulians to browse and donate, to stimulate interest.

Create accounts outside North America, so Mawulians around the world can donate easily.

Mawuli School should be listed as a Charity issue.

 

Finally SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY must be encouraged to MEMBERSHIP.

 

Election: Elliott Rennison motioned that the current leadership of OMSU-NA (both executives and the board) be retained; the motion was seconded by Edna Agbelie on the condition that if all the leadership wanted to continue. Vote: yes – 22, No – 1.

 

 

The President announced that Florida, Chicago, and North Carolina were in contention to host the next OMSU-NA general meeting/congress on the Memorial Day Week-end of year 2011. Since the meeting was hard-pressed for time (the meeting room had to be arranged for the next event), it was agreed that the president should hold consultations with representatives from those three areas and inform participants of the next venue at the evening Dinner/Dance.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 3:50pm.

 

 

1.    Opening prayer by Rev. K. Odzafi, Pastor Ewe Church of America, and the President welcomed everybody and the Vice-president Selete Avoke ’79 introduced the MC’s for the evening:  Brenda Atutornu ’87, and Lolonyo Hodogbey ‘90.

2.    The Keynote address was delivered by Rev. Frank “Zuta” Anku ’73, Mawuli School Board Chairperson.

3.    A fundraiser was launched, amounts to appear in the Treasurer & Financial Secretary’s report at the 2011 Congress.

4.    LOC members were recognized.

5.    Based on consultations held with representatives from the three areas contending to host the next meeting, it was announced that South Florida shall be the venue for the 2011 OMSU-NA Congress, followed by Chicago in 2012, and possibly followed by North Carolina in 2013.

 

 

 

 

Recorded by Divine E. Amoah, ‘79

Secretary, OMSU-NA