The Alumni of the Damongo Senior High school in the Savannah Region are blaming the school placement system for the poor academic performance of the school.
The school has not performed beyond 5% pass rate in the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in the past 3 years.
Speaking to Citi News at the inaugural ceremony of the 50th anniversary of the school, the chairman of the anniversary steering Committee, George Amuah Attah said the placement system is a disadvantage to lower graded schools.
Mr. Attah, an old student of the school, said: “We as old students are not happy about the performance of the school because this school has turned out very brilliant students. The system that we have, excuse my words, garbage in garbage out, is giving you low-grade students, what do you expect? The system automatically gives you a certain category of students.”
“If the system was such that all schools are given grade A students, grade B students, grade C students, the high-flyers will pull along the average students. But now they are giving the school only poor-performing students because the school was graded in a certain category. We are saying that, as old boys and girls of the school, we are not happy about the system.”
The Savannah Regional Minister, Saeed Muhazu Jibril who is also an old student of the school in a speech read for him called on the school to take advantage of technology to improve teaching and learning.
“The future is linked to technology, and we must take advantage of this technology to improve on teaching and learning; the computer, the internet, and indeed the use of technology, to be able to harness effectively the large numbers as a result of the free SHS to improve students performance.”
He also charged the authorities to instil discipline, moral values and hard work in the students.
“Discipline, moral values, hard work, honesty, respect for the elderly and time management were all the hallmarks of this great institution. These values and guidance I believe are what have kept DASS for 50 years.”
“I encourage the current management of the school to continue to instill these values to take the school Higher in the next 50 years.”
Damongo Senior High School, DASS, was established in 1971 at the premises of the then Damongo Boys Middle Boarding School.
DASS was officially outdoored on 22nd November 1971 with 66 students, all boys, who were later joined by 2 girls.
There was a significant shift in gender enrolment the following academic year– 1972 — with 59 boys and 20 girls.
The school is currently under the management of Abu Salia who took over from Chief Kuipo Harrison Salifu as a substantive headmaster in September 2018 with a student population of over 1,800.
The school over the years has passed out over 800,000 students who are contributing to development both home and abroad.