The President of the Accra City Conference of the Seventh Day Adventist Church (SDA, Pastor Dr. Solomon Okoe Trebi Hammond has stated that, school children needed break on their own to be close to nature as it is in the past.
He noted that the current educational calendar doesn’t help the children because, they are always in the classroom saying, the children need a break that they can do their own individual thinking and be creative.
“They need a break on their own to be close to nature and get in touch with the challenges that they have in their environment and that will make them think. I think today, we are almost doing everything for them. They don’t face difficulties and so, it is not helping them to think. But those of us who are old, we know that when you go through all these challenges, it makes you to think. It helps you to use your hands to do new things and that is why I said, the academic calendar must give room for all the children to have space to be on their own and do their own thinking and learning”.
Pastor Dr.Okoe Trebi Hammond made this known during the official launch of the 40th Anniversary celebration of the Labone S.D.A School on the theme, “40 Years of Impacting Holistic Christian Education Empowering the Next Generation through STEM and Innovation.”
Pastor Hammond revealed that during their time, you have to spent 7 years in Secondary school before going to the University and they have space but said now, it seams everything is in the rush.
“When the years is reduced, the children go to school from morning to evening, weekend and everyday so, it doesn’t give them the room to be on their own and learn what they ought to learn and reason with the brain that God has given them. So, I believe that if we don’t go back to the old system, the children will be less creative and they will be less in critical thinking.”
“We cannot overload the brain. The brain must have time to relax and grow as God want it to be”.
He encouraged the school children to learn hard and also count themselves lucky to be in Labone S.D.A School added that, they are not in wrong place and should never allow anyone to deceive them to leave the school.
Pastor Dr.Okoe Trebi Hammond said being a parent, he is very proud to have his children also passes through the Labone S.D.A School saying, the school has made them who they are today and they are proud of themselves.
On his part, the Chairman of Labone S.D.A School, Elder E.A. Hanson disclosed that, the school have been trying very hard to impact the surrounding communities and based on that, they have given scholarship to number of children from Osu Children Home to come to school free.
“We also try for those who are here and have lost their bread winners to be able to go through the education. We don’t want to have dropout. This is what we have being doing as a Christian school to help our environment”.
The children of the school staff together with that of the church members he mentioned, are also made to pay half of their school fees in other not to leave anyone behind.
He hinted that, the school has been impacting on the environment saying, not just in academic but, to model the children to be good citizens to benefit the country, which they have been doing for the past forty 40 years.
According to him, apart from the GES curriculum that they have been running, the school now is considering to run a Cambridge system of education and are working to achieve that in the near future.
The celebration started with official launch and a float through the principal streets of Labone, Osu, and Cantonments.
Among the activities for the celebration of the 40th anniversary include; Intra-Houses Competition (Soccer and Quiz): July 23, 2024, 40th Anniversary Speech & Prize-Giving, Graduation Ceremony: July 25, 2024, Alumni Networking and Homecoming: September 12, 2024, Community Service Day: September 26, 2024, Grand Durbar and Photo Exhibition on October 25, 2024 and Thanksgiving Service also on October 26, 2024.
