Aburi Girls' Senior High School, formerly Aburi Girls' Secondary School, also known as ABUGISS, is a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

senior high

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

for girls located south of

Aburi Aburi is a town in the Akuapim South Municipal District of the Eastern Region (Ghana), Eastern Region of south Ghana famous for the Aburi Botanical Gardens and the Odwira festival.

in the Eastern Region of

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

. The brother school of Aburi Girls is

Presbyterian Boys' Secondary School , country = Ghana , region = Greater-Accra , location = Legon , coordinates = , type = Public high school , religious_affiliation = Presbyterian Church ...

, known as "PRESEC".

History

Aburi Girls Senior High School was formally established as a secondary school for girls in 1946 with only seven students;. However, its origin dates as far back as 1852, when the

Basel Mission The Basel Mission was a Christian missionary society based in Switzerland. It was active from 1815 to 2001, when it transferred the operative work to , the successor organization of ''Kooperation Evangelischer Kirchen und Missione'' (KEM), found ...

aries opened a school at primary level for girls at their mission station inside the town. The primary school continued until its takeover by the Scottish Mission during the

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In the 1920s the training of teachers was begun alongside a kindergarten section and a middle school, also for girls, and in 1946, secondary classes were introduced side by side with the teacher-training course. In 1950 the Presbyterian Church of the Gold Coast (now Ghana) took over the Management of the school when its partner missions the Basel Mission and the Scottish Mission left. The secondary school was physically separated from the teacher training classes and moved to its present site on its present site on the outskirts of Aburi in 1954. Classes ran from Form 1 to Form 5 until 1958, when a Sixth Form was added. Presently the 3-year Senior High School system is run. In 1972, the Methodist Training College located on the southern side of the school was closing down so Joyce Asibey, the first Ghanaian Headmistress initiated negotiations with the Methodist Church to acquire the college premises for the school. The compound had a dining hall, dormitory and classrooms and so it was used to house form one students. This was done to reduce the incidence of bullying. Due to the increase in numbers in the 1990s, this arrangement was stopped and the old “Metico” building is now bonafide house known as Irene Anderson House just as the entire compound. The school is located on the easternmost part of the ridge forming the

Akuapem Mountains Akuapem may refer to: * Akuapem people, an ethnic group of Ghana * Akuapem dialect, their language * Akuapem Kingdom Akropong is a town in South Ghana and is the capital of the Akuapim North District, a district in the Eastern Region of South ...

, about a mile to the south of Aburi.

Global Robotics Competition

A total of 12 students from the Aburi Girls Senior High School will be representing Ghana at the first ever Global Robotics Competition.

Houses

The school currently has eight houses, named as follows: * Aberdeen House * Irene Anderson House * Sylvia Asempa House * Barradale House * Chapel House * Edinburgh House * Kilsyth House * Royal Park House

Programmes offered

Below are academic programmes offered in the school: * Business * Visual Arts * Home Economics * General Science * General Arts

Achievements

Between 2011 and 2015, the school cleared the top awards in two categories in the

West African Senior School Certificate Examination The West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) is a type of standardized test in West Africa. Students who pass the exam receive a certificate confirming their graduation from secondary education. It is administered by the West A ...

(WASSCE) winning Best in Mathematics and Science. Also in 2015, the school won the three top awards in the National Best School and Best Teacher Awards for the Senior High School Division for the Eastern Region.

Notable alumni

Akosua Adomako Ampofo Josephine Akosua Adomako Ampofo is a Ghanaian academic who is a professor of Gender Studies and African Studies at the University of Ghana. She is feminist activist-scholar, and a strong advocate for social justice. Early life and education Am ...

, Ghanaian academic, sociologist and professor of Gender studies and African studies at the

University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian national public universities. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the Br ...

Senyuiedzorm Awusi Adadevoh Senyuiedzorm Awusi Adadevoh (born in Dzelukope, Volta Region of Ghana) is a Ghanaian sports photographer and photojournalist based in Accra, Ghana. Her career as a photographer began in 1999, eventually transitioning into sports photography in ...

, photojournalist *

Vida Akoto-Bamfo Vida Akoto-Bamfo is a retired Ghanaian Supreme Court Judge. She served on the Supreme Court bench from 2009 to 2019. Early life and education Akoto-Bamfo was born on 7 February 1949 to Mr. Alfred Kingsley Bannerman-Williams and Madam Grace Dark ...

, justice of the

Supreme Court of Ghana The Supreme Court of Ghana is the highest judicial body in Ghana. Ghana's 1992 constitution guarantees the independence and separation of the Judiciary from the Legislative and the Executive arms of government.1992 Constitution Article 125( ...

(2009 – 2019) *

Gloria Akuffo Gloria Akuffo (born 31 December 1954) is a Ghanaian lawyer and politician who serves as the Attorney General of Ghana and Minister for Justice, since 2017. She is a former Deputy Attorney General and Aviation Minister. Early life and education ...

, current Attorney-general of Ghana and Minister of Justice *

Sylvia Anie Sylvia Josephine Anie FRSC is a Ghanaian chemist known for her work in magnetic resonance imaging and international policy making. Education Anie is a graduate of Aburi Girls’ Senior High School. She completed her doctoral dissertation in 1 ...

, chemist,

Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry Fellowship of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) is an award conferred by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) in the United Kingdom. FRSC award Achieving Fellow status in the chemical profession denotes to the wider community a high level of ...

, received an award from the Old Students Association of Aburi Girls’ Senior High School recognizing her contributions to scientific knowledge. *

Francisca Ashietey-Odunton Francisca Ashietey-Odunton is a Ghanaian journalist, broadcaster and diplomat. She was formerly the Acting Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation and currently Ghana's high commissioner to Turkey (2020-date), haven served earlier ...

, journalist, broadcaster and diplomat *

Ivy Barley Ivy Barley is a Ghanaian entrepreneur, program manager and women in tech activist. She is the co-founder of Developers in Vogue, an organization that is paving the way for more African women to take up opportunities in the tech industry. In Ja ...

, Ghanaian entrepreneur *

Veronica Bekoe Veronica Bekoe is a biologist from Ghana. She is known for her impact in the invention of the Veronica bucket used to reduce the spread of communicable diseases. Education Veronica attended Aburi Girls SHS. She later furthered her education a ...

, Ghanaian Biological scientist, inventor of

Veronica Bucket The Veronica bucket is a mechanism for hand washing originating in Ghana which consists of a bucket of water with a tap fixed at the bottom, mounted at hand height, and a bowl at the bottom to collect waste water. The Veronica bucket was develop ...

* Abena Brigidi, investment analyst author and speaker * Esi Awuah, Ghanaian academic;foundation vice chancellor of the

University of Energy and Natural Resources The University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR; french: Université de l'énergie et des ressources naturelles) is a public-funded university in Ghana, that was established by an Act of the Parliament of Ghana, Act 830, 2011 on December 31, ...

, Ghana * Matilda Baffour Awuah, Security expert, former Director General of the Ghana Prisons Service * Christine Alexandra Clerk, physician and epidemiologist *

Nuong Faalong Edith Nuong Faalong is a Ghanaian entrepreneur, journalist, writer, activist and also actor. Early life and education Nuong hails from Lawra in the Upper West Region of Ghana, She had her secondary education at Aburi Girls Senior High School ...

, Ghanaian journalist, activist, and actress * Elsie Effah Kaufmann, current Host of the National Science and Math Quiz and biomedical engineering scholar *

Lovelace Johnson Avril Lovelace-Johnson is a Ghanaian judge. She was nominated for the position of a Supreme Court of Ghana judge in November 2019 and received parliamentary approval in December 2019. She was sworn in on 17 December 2019. She has been on the ben ...

, active Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana (2019–) * Ofie Kodjoe, American-Ghanaian singer, actress, radio presenter and motivational speaker * Deloris Frimpong Manso, entrepreneur, television and radio show host, producer, public speaker and Women's Advocate *

Ernestina Naadu Mills Ernestina Naadu Mills (née Botchway) is a Ghanaian educator and former First Lady of Ghana. She was the wife of former Ghanaian president John Atta Mills (21 July 1944 – 24 July 2012), and is the recipient of a Humanitarian award from the Heal ...

, educator and former

First Lady of Ghana First Lady of Ghana is the title of the wife of a sitting president of Ghana. The current first lady is Rebecca Akufo-Addo, who has held the position since 2017. They are not officially given salaries but the Ghanaian first and second lady are b ...

* Ellen Serwaa Nee-Whang, retired Ghanaian diplomat * Abena Oduro, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Social Science at the

Rose Constance Owusu Rose Constance Owusu is a Ghanaian former Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana. She served on the Supreme Court bench from 2008 to 2014. Early life and education Owusu was born on 24 August 1944 at Koforidua. Between 1958 and 1964, she attended ...

, justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana (2008 – 2014) * Akosua Adoma Perbi, Ghanaian author and history professor * Cina Soul, singer-songwriter and recording artist * Johanna Odonkor Svanikier, diplomat * Theresa Amerley Tagoe, Ghanaian politician

References

External links

Official website
{spaced endashundergoing redevelopment as of March 2021. Boarding schools in Ghana Girls' schools in Ghana High schools in Ghana Presbyterian schools in Africa Educational institutions established in 1946 1946 establishments in Gold Coast (British colony) Christian schools in Ghana Public schools in Ghana Education in the Eastern Region (Ghana)