About Us - Odadee Radio

Presec, 1981 Year Group & Odadee Radio

Basel Mission And Educational Agenda 

The Basel Mission arrived in 1828 and her pioneering role in education in the then Gold Coast remains undisputed. The focus however was on primary, middle and training colleges. The objective was to produce workers for the colonial civil service and teachers for the many Presbyterian schools. Wherever new churches were planted therefore came the establishment of primary and middle schools. By 1848, the Akropong Seminary has been set up to train teachers. Conspicuously missing were secondary schools which other missions were establishing.  Mfantsipim (Methodist) had been founded as far back as 1876, followed by Adisadel (Anglican) in 1910, with Achimota College (Colonial Government) soon to open in 1927 only went to deepen puzzlement in local circles over the lack of interest in the subject. In 1917, the colonial govt deported the Basel Missionaries from Switzerland and invited the Scottish Mission to come take over but there were almost averse to the idea of secondary education. “We came to evangelize, not to educate… Education is task of the government” they asserted.

Agitation for a secondary school grew with the election of Rev Clerk as first Synod Clerk in 1918 and he pursued the idea of a secondary school with vigor. In August 1937 the Synod of the Church held at Odumase Krobo decided to open a secondary school following year. The Scottish Mission said they had no money for infrastructure, but the local church stuck to its guns. Rev Engmann was given a letter from Rev Akwa the then Synod Clerk to start school. Old buildings of the Basel Mission were evacuated and converted for use by the proposed school.

 Presec Is Born

On 1st February 1938, TEN students reported. Significantly, they all came from the Middle Boarding Schools: Akropong, Osu, Bana hill, Larteh, Anum, Nsaba etc. Around 9.00am on 1st February 1938, the Moderator, Rt. Rev. C.E. Martinson, and the Synod Clerk, Rev. D.E. Akwa, arrived. At 10a.m prompt, with the 3 masters and 10 students seated, the two officers of the Church commenced the historic opening ceremony. The Synod Clerk conducted the opening Service. The Moderator then delivered an Exhortation, pronounced the benediction and declared the school officially opened with no fanfare.

Crest & Motto

 The school's crest has a shield with the Presbyterian symbol (the St Andrew Cross-Scottish flag with the Swiss flag embedded and a burning torch in the middle) with the motto of the school, "In Lumine Tuo Videbimus Lumen", meaning "In Thy Light We Shall See Light", scrolled beneath the shield. The touch is from Psalm 36:9. The Presby Church was established and taken care by Basel and Scottish Missions. Basel Mission has 90-year presence (1828 – 1918). In 1917, the colonial govt deported the Basel Missionaries from Switzerland and invited the Scottish Mission to come take over. The St Andrew’s cross (in white on blue background) represents the Scottish Mission, and the Swiss flag represents the Basel Mission.

School Anthem

Happy are we! Studious are we!

Students of Presbyterian Secondary School

Onward we march, we trudge along

To happy victory, to victory, to victory

Our motto is a solid bulwark propping us along

IN LUMINE TUO LUMINE

TUO VIDEBIMUS LUMEN

In Thy Light, Thy Light, we shall see light

In Lumine tuo Videbimus Lumen

For Christian training we get

A sure, solid Foundation to take our places

In the future of our country and church

For Christian training we get

A sure, solid Foundation to take our places

In the future of our country

O come along and join us

O come along and join us

Happy, studious are we!

Relocation To Legon Campus

The school expanded and its rehousing became a hot potato. As early as 1948, colonial government had allocated an amount of £230,000 for re-housing of the school. On November 15th 1961, there was demonstration by students for new buildings. Two sites were proposed, Nuaso and Legon. Those in favor of Legon asserted that it was time for the church to have a secondary school presence in an urban setting like the other missions. They were also not sure of the continuous flow of water at Nuaso considering the perennial water problems at Odumasi. LA Stool gave land at present site.

The re-housing contract was originally awarded to a British Architect (Agrombar); well-known for designing Schools and Colleges in England, East Africa and South Africa. Work started in earnest but owing to unfortunate frustrations and other problems Messrs. S.G. & Agrombar lost interest in the work and had to terminate the contract and return to England. The contract was then awarded to Asona Construction Company (B.K. Adusei). Many of the essential items on the original plan were left out; some of the housing aspects were either reduced or deleted completely. Rev. Kwansa stepped in and made direct appeal to the President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah who promptly decided that the Government should take over the financial obligations and provide money to pay for the entire re-housing of the school.

Initially 5 houses of Residence- KWANSA HOUSE (named after Rev Kwansa) CLERK HOUSE (named after Rev N.T Clerk) ENGMANN HOUSE(named after Rev Engmann) AKRO HOUSE( named to cement ties to Odumasi) RIIS HOUSE (named after Rev Riis and later LABONE HOUSE (named to show appreciation of LA Stool in giving land for the present Legon site).Other houses l such as Ako Adjei House and Owusu-Parry House (Named after the First Senior Prefect) have subsequently been added.

In 1975 the Sixth Form National Science College headed by British Atomic Physicist Prof May was opened. The school has ties with its sister schools, Aburi Girls' Senior High School and Krobo Girls’ Senior High School.