Management, staff, students and Old Students of Huni Valley Senior High School, popularly known as Great Hunivass, are in the mood to celebrate its golden jubilee, marking five decades of providing secondary education in the Western Region.
The school, established on November 15, 1975 in the then Wassa Fiase Mporhor District, was set up to serve nearby communities including Wassa Damang, Subri, Ateiku and Bompieso. At the time, Huni Valley was better known for its railway station, which connected Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi.
In its early years, the school faced tough conditions. There was no electricity or potable water. Students and teachers fetched water from the Gyeatuo and Huni rivers, while students at night relied on kerosene lamps. So essential was kerosene that the school appointed a “Kerosene Prefect” to ration the scarce resource.
The school’s compound has remained unwalled for the 50 years, which poses security concerns for both students and staff. The school lands have also, as a result, been encroached upon.
Resilience and sacrifice
Despite these difficulties, the pioneering teachers—many of them fresh university graduates—demonstrated great sacrifice and resilience. They guided students from across Ghana through five years of study, preparing them successfully for the GCE Ordinary Level examinations with excellent results which positioned the school among the best in the region and Ghana.
Alumni making impact
Fifty years on, the Hunivass Old Students Association (HOSA), also called “Gyeatuo” (an Akan expression meaning “to take a bullet” or be brave), can boast of distinguished professionals across Ghana and abroad. Alumni include farmers, corporate executives, lawyers, judges, academics, clergy, police chiefs, politicians, journalists, teachers and entrepreneurs.
Some Gyeatuo have gone on to chair the school’s governing board and serve in senior roles within the education sector, further strengthening Hunivass’ legacy.
50th anniversary celebration
Hunivass is marking its 50th anniversary with week-long activities starting Monday, November 24, and climaxing with a speech and prize-giving ceremony on Saturday, November 29. The theme is: “50 Years of Excellent Secondary Education: The Role of Stakeholders.”
Honouring the founding father and teachers
This milestone is an occasion to pay tribute to the school’s founder and pioneer teachers and students. Foremost among them is Dr Anthony Kwasi Appiah, a former Commissioner of Finance in the 1970s, whose vision led to the establishment of Hunivass. The chiefs of the Wassa Fiase Bosomtwi Traditional Area also played a crucial role by providing the land and other resources to support its creation.
Special recognition must be given to the school’s early headmasters, including Mr. C.K. Ainoo and C.W.O. Kwakye, whose discipline and leadership laid the foundation for strong academic standards. They were followed by others such as Mr. Markwei, Mr. Nyameke Cudjoe, Mr. Amande, and Mr. Joseph Nakti, all the way to today’s headmaster, Mr. Daniel Aidoo, himself a proud Gyeatuo.
The anniversary will be incomplete without honouring pioneering teachers, some of them of blessed memory, like Mr. Mina, S.S. Kontomah, Francis Oduro, Mr. Ocansey, Mr. Kwakye, Mr. Solomon Amoah, ACOP Andoh Kwofie, Dr. Jehu Appiah, Mr. George Awere, Mr. Quaidoo, Dr. Ndur of UMaT, Mr. Andoh Wilson, Mr. Afful, Mr. Hagan, Mr. Atta, Mr. Ofori Asante, and others. Their sacrifices, along with those of Peace Corps volunteers Ricky Fordyce and Rottenberg, sustained the school in its most challenging years.
Call for support
Fifty years on, Hunivass continues to grapple with infrastructural challenges, including inadequate dormitories, classrooms, staff accommodation, and a modern kitchen. The HOSA leadership, spearheaded by Mr. Kofi Arhin (President) and Dr. Nana Toni Aubynn (Chairman of the Anniversary Planning Committee), is appealing to alumni worldwide and to corporate organisations—especially those operating in the Western Region—to support legacy projects that will mark this golden jubilee.
The writer is a proud Gyeatuo (Class of ’83), a journalist, pastor, and Faculty Head at Rosebank International University College (RIUC), Accra.
BY REV. DR. KOJO ACKAAH-KWARTENG
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