The Ghana International School (GIS) has launched its 70th anniversary celebration, reaffirming its commitment to academic excellence and social responsibility in the country.
The celebration will be held under the theme; “Honour the Past, Celebrate the Present, Embrace the Future.”
Addressing journalists in Accra on Monday, the Chief Executive Officer of GIS, Dr Mary Ashun, said the seven-decade anniversary was a celebration of ambition, resilience and Ghanaian excellence.
Tracing the school’s history, Dr Ashun recalled that GIS was established in 1955 as the Gold Coast International School by a group of expatriates and Ghanaians who envisioned an institution that would represent Ghana on the global stage, however, was renamed in 1957 after independence.
She emphasised that GIS was the first institution in the country to be accredited by both the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), stating that school also belongs to international associations such as EISA and ESIS.
On academic excellence, the CEO disclosed that GIS students consistently excel in international examinations.
“This year, a student achieved a record-breaking 11 A-stars in the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), a feat described as rare worldwide,” she disclosed.
Every GIS graduate, she added, secures admission into universities of their choice, both in Ghana and abroad, with many earning scholarships, while the Alumni were spread across the globe, contributing in diverse fields.
Highlighting the school’s challenges, Dr Ashun noted that one of the challenges faced by the school, and many other institutions in the country was access to competent human resources.
To bridge this gap, she said GIS introduced the Junior Teacher Programme nine years ago, recruiting newly qualified teachers from local training colleges and attaching them to classrooms at GIS.
The initiative, she explained, reduces class sizes while equipping teachers with international exposure before many transition into the public education system.
Giving back to society, she said GIS teachers sometimes travelling by canoe to remote communities to provide mentorship and training to the less privileged in their communities.
“Over the years, the school has also supported philanthropic causes, including funding surgeries for children with congenital heart conditions through the Children’s Heart Foundation, donating desks, books and computers to schools, and sustaining an annual sponsored walk in support of mental health initiatives since 1984. “The privilege we enjoy as a school must translate into impact for others. That is why we keep finding ways to serve,” Dr Ashun stated.
Looking to the future, Dr Ashun said GIS remained committed to innovation and was exploring expansion into other parts of the country and partnerships across Africa to give students broader exchange opportunities.
“At a time when no one was thinking of international education, we were. Today, when the world is shifting, GIS is again leading in redefining what the next phase of education will look like,” she said.
She urged the public to celebrate not just GIS but also the broader cause of educational excellence in the country, stressing that the school’s milestone was a symbol of the nation’s capacity to build world-class institutions that withstand time and global change.
BY CECILIA YADA LAGBA
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