Adisadel College, popularly known as "Adisco", is an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

boys'

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 ...

in Cape Coast, Ghana. It was established by Rt. Rev. Nathaniel T Hamlyn in 1910. Adisadel College is one of the oldest

secondary schools A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

in Ghana, and was ranked 10th out of the top 100 best high schools in Africa by ''Africa Almanac'' in 2003, based on quality of education, student engagement, strength and activities of alumni, school profile, internet and news visibility. Recently, they were ranked among the best senior high schools in Ghana per WAEC standards and is the best senior high schools in Cape Coast according to the YEN in 2024.

History

Adisadel was established in 1910 in a building at Topp Yard, near Christ Church School, which is within the vicinity of Cape Coast Castle. The school began with 29 boys and by 1935, it had expanded to accommodate about 200 pupils. The school buildings were extended in 1950 by

Maxwell Fry Edwin Maxwell Fry, CBE, RA, FRIBA, FRTPI, known as Maxwell Fry (2 August 1899 – 3 September 1987), was an English modernist architect, writer and painter. Originally trained in the neo-classical style of architecture, Fry grew to favour the n ...

and Jane Drew. Student enrolment stood at 545, at the time of the school's Golden Jubilee in 1960. By the time the school celebrated its centenary anniversary in 2010, Adisadel could boast about 1500 boarding students and 93 teachers. The school's original founder was the Rt. Rev.

Nathaniel Temple Hamlyn Nathaniel Temple Hamlyn was an Anglican bishop in Africa in the first decade of the 20th century. Hamlyn was educated at Totnes Grammar School and Durham University, completing his Licentiate of Theology in 1899, followed by a MA in 1902, and ...

, a missionary who was then Anglican Bishop of Accra between 1908 and 1910. Hamlyn's ambition was to establish a grammar school to educate the sons of Anglicans in the colony, and also create an educational institution which will serve as a training ground for the clergy. Adisadel College is the second-oldest secondary school in Ghana after Mfantsipim School, an arch rival which was established by the

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

in 1876. Adisco is also one of the most famous high schools in sub-Saharan Africa.

Uniform

The school uniform comprises black-and-white striped shirt and black shorts, directly reflecting the primary colours of the college. The distinctive outfit has earned Adisco students the nickname of "zebra boys". Prior to the introduction of this style of uniform in the 1990s, students of the old Form One to Form Five stream wore blue shirts and brown khaki shorts, while those in Sixth Form wore white shirts and brown shorts. Adisadel College was the first

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

in the history of Ghana to design special cloaks for its prefects – red for the head prefect, blue for the other prefects, and green for the assistants – and the tradition persists till this day.

Headmasters

Publications

*Adisadel On The Hill: The History (1910–2010) - by

John Samuel Pobee John Samuel Pobee (9 July 1937 – 22 January 2020) was a Ghanaian Christian theologian and former Vicar General of the Anglican Diocese of Accra, Ghana. Biography Pobee studied at Adisadel College (1950–1956), the University of Ghana ( ...

, Vicar General of the Anglican Diocese of Accra. This book was published and launched in March 2010 to coincide with the school's centenary anniversary. *The Owl is a monthly newsletter for students and alumni of Adisadel College. *Reminiscences of Adisadel - A short historical sketch of ADISADEL COLLEGE published in 1980, by G. McLean Amissah. Publication: Reminiscences Of Adisadel College 1970-1975 Editors: Dr Paul Mensah; Dr Kwesi Bentum Date: 2017 Publisher: Buck Press Ltd, Accra, Ghana.

Notable alumni

File:Dr. Thomas Mensah.jpg , Thomas O. Mensah File:Ashantehene.jpg, Opoku Ware II

* Head of State: Akwasi Amankwa Afrifa * Scientists: Ave Kludze, Thomas Mensah, Nii Quaynor * Speakers of Parliament: Rt.Hon

Jacob Hackenburg Griffiths-Randolph Jacob Hackenburg Griffiths-Randolph (6 September 1914 – 25 July 1986) was a judge and also the Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana during the Third Republic. He was also the first Ghanaian to become Commissioner of Income Tax. Early life and ed ...

, Rt.Hon

Ebenezer Sekyi-Hughes Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi-Hughes (born 4 September 1939) was the Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana between 2005 and 2009. Early life Ebenezer Sekyi-Hughes was born on 4 September 1939 at Cape Coast, the capital of the Central Region of Ghana. Fro ...

* Chief Justices: Justice

George Kingsley Acquah Justice George Kingsley Acquah (4 March 1942 – 25 March 2007) was the twenty-third (23rd ) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana(the eleventh since independence). He was appointed as Chief Justice on 4 July 2003 and was the incumbent u ...

, Justice Philip Edward Archer, Justice Edward Kwame Wiredu and Justice Robert John Hayfron-Benjamin(Botswana) *

Supreme Court judges A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

: Justice

Koi Larbi Koi Obuadabang Larbi was an activist and Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana from 1970 to 1972. Biography Koi Larbi was born in 1914 in the Gold Coast. He obtained his law degree in 1943 from Durham University working at the West Indian seamen ...

, Justice

Henry K. Prempeh Henry Kwasi Prempeh (born 27 March 1912, date of death unknown) was a Ghanaian judge. He was a justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana from 1971 to 1972. Early life and education Prempeh was born on 27 March 1912 to Osei Tutu Agyeman Prempeh II, ...

, Justice Charles Hayfron-Benjamin and Justice

Anselmus Kludze Anselmus Kodzo Paaku Kludze (1934 – 5 October 2013) was a Ghanaian lawyer, author and academic who served as a judge for the Supreme Court of Ghana and was also a professor. He was an Emeritus Professor of law at Rutgers University, Camden, New ...

* Attorney-Generals of Ghana: Edward Nathaniel Moore,

Godfred Yeboah Dame Godfred Yeboah Dame (born 5 June 1979) is a Ghanaian lawyer and politician. He is a member of the New Patriotic Party. He was previously the deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice. He is currently the Attorney General. Early life and ed ...

Recent awards

* Winners of the 2016 edition (and runners up on four other occasions) of the National Science and Maths Quiz * Winners of 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 editions of the National Hockey Championship / Citizens International Inter-Schools (CIIS) Hockey fiesta. * Winners of 2021 National Robotics Championship.

External links

Adisadel College, Cape Coast, GhanaAdisadel Old Boys Association (AOBA)

References

{{CapeCoastSchools 1910 establishments in Gold Coast (British colony) Anglican schools in Africa Boarding schools in Ghana Boys' schools in Ghana Cape Coast Christian schools in Ghana Educational institutions established in 1910 High schools in Ghana Education in the Central Region (Ghana)