Deputy Chief of Staff Nana Oye Bampoe Addo delivered a keynote address focused on discipline, digital ethics, and academic excellence during Aburi Girls’ Senior High School’s 79th Speech and Prize Giving Day celebration on Saturday, November 22, 2025.
The event featured cultural performances, exhibitions, new house naming ceremonies, and prize presentations as the institution commemorated nearly eight decades of educational service. Speaking on behalf of First Lady Lordina Mahama, the Deputy Chief of Staff urged students to maintain their dignity online and resist harmful digital trends that could compromise their futures.
Nana Oye Bampoe Addo emphasized the school’s foundational values of integrity, humility, and upright leadership while addressing the contemporary challenges facing young women in an increasingly digital world. She called on educators to actively monitor digital influences affecting students and incorporate artificial intelligence, media literacy, and emerging technological skills into their teaching practices.
The Deputy Chief of Staff announced a donation of 20,000 Ghana cedis on behalf of the First Lady and praised the 2000 year group of the Aburi Old Girls Association for financing the anniversary celebrations and supporting the school’s legacy initiatives.
The ceremony also became a platform for highlighting education reforms under President John Dramani Mahama’s administration. The Deputy Chief of Staff referenced ongoing improvements to the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, including major capital allocations to complete educational blocks and infrastructure expansion projects nationwide.
She announced a new school feeding policy approved by Cabinet on November 7, 2025, which grants the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools full responsibility for procuring six core grain and legume items including maize, gari, beans, peanuts, millet and soybeans. Under this restructured programme, the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) will collaborate with the Ghana Commodity Exchange to supply twelve additional essential food items.
The Deputy Chief of Staff also highlighted the introduction of the “No Fees, No Stress” free tertiary education initiative for first year students and new measures designed to enhance teacher welfare across the country. These reforms form part of what government officials have described as the Education Reset Agenda, which aims to address infrastructure deficits and eliminate the double track system that divides students into alternating groups due to accommodation shortages.
President of the 2000 year group Akua Boahemah Owusu Sekyere joined other members and Joyce Bawah, a special aide to President Mahama, in commissioning a refurbished school tower as part of the group’s contribution to the milestone anniversary. She expressed gratitude for the opportunity to support their alma mater and commended fellow year group members for their commitment to the school community.
The theme “A Legacy of Light: Influencing Future Generations” reflected the school’s enduring commitment to producing women leaders who embody excellence, character, and service. Aburi Girls’ SHS has maintained its reputation as one of Ghana’s premier institutions for female secondary education since its founding.
The Deputy Chief of Staff’s message resonated with broader concerns about youth engagement with technology and social media. Her call for digital responsibility comes at a time when young people face increasing pressure from online trends, cyberbullying, and the spread of misinformation across digital platforms.
Educational experts have long emphasized the importance of integrating digital literacy into curriculum while maintaining traditional academic standards. The Deputy Chief of Staff’s emphasis on balancing technological competence with ethical behavior reflects this growing consensus among educators and policymakers.
Government investment in education infrastructure remains a priority, with officials announcing plans to spend one billion Ghana cedis from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) in 2026 to address accommodation shortages and facility gaps across secondary schools nationwide. These allocations aim to ensure the Free SHS policy can accommodate growing enrollment without compromising educational quality.
The anniversary celebration reinforced Aburi Girls’ SHS position as an institution that continues shaping future generations of women leaders while adapting to contemporary educational challenges and opportunities.
