Assisi Girls marks 67 years, launches 70th anniversary amid urgent calls for infrastructure overhaul

St. Francis of Assisi Girls' Senior High School in Jirapa marked a significant institutional milestone on Saturday, October 17, as hundreds of alumnae, traditional authorities, educators and students gathered to celebrate the school's 67th birthday and officially launch its 70th anniversary campaign. The event, organised by the Franciscan Old Girls Association (FOGA), doubled as the school's annual Speech and Prize Giving Day, but revealed a troubling contrast between academic success and mounting infrastructural challenges threatening the institution's future.

Joyce Bawah Mogtari, Special Aide and Presidential Adviser to President John Dramani Mahama, delivered the keynote address as Special Guest of Honour. Drawing on her own transformative experience as a student at the Jirapa campus, Mogtari spoke passionately about the power of girls' education to reshape lives and trajectories. She detailed her journey from student to accomplished maritime lawyer, law firm founder, and senior presidential adviser, positioning herself as living evidence of the school's capacity to nurture future leaders.

Mogtari also leveraged the occasion to highlight Ghana's historic political progress on gender representation. She pointed to Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang—the nation's first female Vice President since independence—as a symbol that no ambition should be limited by gender. The adviser conveyed warm felicitations from President Mahama, emphasising the administration's commitment to expanding educational access for young women across the country.

Academic achievement amid dire facility shortages

Despite the celebratory tone, Headmistress Anastasia Kaarawo painted a sobering picture of operational reality. The school, which began in 1959 with just 12 girls and two teachers, has grown into a Category A institution now educating 1,341 students. This expansion has translated into strong academic results: Kaarawo reported an 88% overall pass rate in the 2025 WASSCE, with 510 candidates currently awaiting their 2026 examination results.

However, this enrolment boom has severely strained physical infrastructure. The headmistress revealed that dormitories are drastically overcrowded, with auxiliary spaces—including box rooms and laundries—repurposed as sleeping quarters. Incoming first-year students lack sufficient furniture and classroom seating, forced to share benches in inadequate numbers. Critical deficits extend across toilet facilities, staff accommodation, science and home economics equipment, and curriculum textbooks. The school also faces acute shortages in teaching staff, particularly in Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and Integrated Science.

In a striking illustration of institutional strain, Kaarawo recounted a recent incident where a school vehicle transporting a deceased staff member's body caught fire in Jirapa's market square, forcing officials to transfer the remains into a commercial tricycle—a moment that crystallised the school's resource constraints.

Why it matters for Ghana

Assisi Girls' plight reflects a broader challenge facing Ghana's secondary education system: rapid enrolment growth, driven partly by improved access policies, has outpaced infrastructure investment. Category A institutions like Assisi are flagships for girls' education in their regions, particularly in northern Ghana where secondary education options remain limited. The school's struggles underscore the gap between policy ambitions—championed by figures like Mogtari and President Mahama—and ground-level resource allocation.

The school's appeal, endorsed by FOGA and framed during a high-profile visit by a presidential adviser, signals that stakeholders recognise the urgency. Fati Bodua Seidu, former FOGA National President, underscored that alumnae goodwill must translate into material support. The call for government intervention, corporate sponsorship, and Old Girls Association funding for projects including chapel completion, dormitory renovation, and logistical support reflects a recognition that the institution cannot sustain its educational mission without urgent capital investment.

For prospective students, parents, and policymakers, Assisi's trajectory—celebrating excellence while pleading for survival resources—illustrates the tension between achievement and sustainability that defines many Ghanaian secondary institutions serving underserved populations.