Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has commissioned a digital depository at Wesley Girls Senior High School, which he helped establish in memory of his late mother, Hajia Mariama Bawumia, an old Student of the school (1960).
The digital repository, equipped with modern technological gadgets, is a system which has digitised records of the school, including records of old and current students and staff. With a unique access code, past students, current students and staff will be able to access confidential information about themselves or general information about the school.
Commissioning the digital repository, Dr Bawumia said he was touched by the gesture of the Wesley Girls High School 1960-year group, who visited him to commiserate with him following the passing of his mother in 2021.
“I was very touched a few weeks after her demise (of his mother) to receive a delegation of Old Girls that called on me to console me over the painful loss. Among the delegation were some of my mother’s schoolmates, who were led by Mrs Nancy Thompson (a distinguished past Headmistress of this excellent and highly esteemed institution) and Nana Kyeiwaa II.)”
Dr Bawumia added that “on the 1st anniversary of her passing, I was privileged to be approached by the Old Girls’ Association on behalf of the school to assist with the provision of a digital repository for the school.
“For a school that is over 187 years old, I considered this a very significant project and I was most delighted and willing to support it with GHS 300,000.00. This has been used to capture records of staff and students and turn them into digital content.”
Dr Bawumia expressed delight at the commissioning and highlighted its immense benefits to the school.
“A digital repository of this nature will facilitate ready retrieval of important records of the school, staff, and students,” he said.
“With the growing size of an institution like Wesley Girls’ High School, this repository will prove to be a worthy asset, as it will help students receive their transcripts in record time to enable them to meet tight deadlines for applications to pursue academic or other professional advancement.
“I can assure you that the immense benefits of having information and records digitalised will unfold with time, as the school puts this project into full use.
“I am hopeful that in addition to academic and other records, the capacity of this repository will be expanded to hold historic documents that will continue to tell the story of the great Wey Gey Hey. A story that remains unfinished and which is so inextricably bound to the history of this nation and the history of Methodism in Ghana.”
The Vice President urged other educational institutions to emulate the example set by Wesley Girls. He also reiterated the government’s commitment to advancing digital initiatives in school to prepare young Ghanaians for the 4th Industrial digital revolution.
He said with the government having already provided free Wi-Fi to schools, the upcoming distribution of one laptop to each SHS student, will help prepare students very well.
Rex Mainoo Yeboah, ISD