Government Secondary School, Afikpo (GSSA) is a boys'

high 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 '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

located in

Afikpo Ehugbo often referred to as Afikpo, is the second largest urban area in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. It is the headquarters of the Afikpo North Local Government Area. It is situated in the southern part of Ebonyi State and is bordered to the north by ...

, a town in

Ebonyi State Ebonyi State ( ig, Ȯra Ebonyi) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north and northeast by Benue State, Enugu State to the west, Cross River State to the east and southeast, and Abia State to the southwes ...

in the former Eastern Region of

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, the part of Nigeria that attempted to secede as the independent state of

Biafra Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a partially recognised secessionist state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria and existed from 1967 until 1970. Its territory consisted of the predominantly Igbo-populated form ...

in the late 1960s. The

Nigerian Civil War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Nigerian–Biafran War or the Biafran War, was a civil war fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence f ...

was Nigeria's ultimately successful attempt to reintegrate Biafra forcibly into the larger Nigerian polity. GSSA was one of the best of the antebellum “leadership academies” of Nigeria until the war and its aftermath.

History

GSSA was established in 1952 by Charles W. Low. The first Principal was Charles W. Low, an Australian.

Academics

GSSA was established as an elitist school. The school has continued to be one of the best

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) ...

s in

. All students are required to complete a number of core courses in the arts and sciences. Its students constantly achieved high scores in examination results at SSCE,

O-Level The O-Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education. It was introduced in place of the School Certificate in 1951 as part of an educational reform alongside the more in-depth ...

and

A-Level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...

Sports and extra-curricular activities

Students of the school also participate in athletics and sports like, cricket, hockey, handball and football (soccer). The school also has an

Officer Cadet Officer Cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University Air ...

Corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

that offers instruction in adventure training, camping and field drills.

School houses

The various houses to which students are assigned upon admission are: *Afikpo House *Akabuogu House *Charles Low House *Ibiam House *Ibi Mboto House *Niger House *Okpara House *Ramat House *School House

Notable alumni

* Chinweizu,

pan-African Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement exte ...

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

Okwui Enwezor Okwui Enwezor (23 October 1963 – 15 March 2019) was a Nigerian curator, art critic, writer, poet, and educator, specializing in art history. He lived in New York City and Munich. In 2014, he was ranked 24 in the ''ArtReview'' list of the 100 m ...

, curator, scholar. * Lieutenant Commander Lawrence Ewa (Lorenzo), 1985 set. naval officer based in Lagos * Emmanuel Isu, formal gubernatorial aspirant Ebonyi state * Anyaoha Samuel Ndubuisi, 1999 set Communication Engineer; Standards Organisation of Nigeria * John Nwangwu, public health doctor * Ikenna Okike (CIPD) class of 1999, renowned UK trained human capital development specialist *

Iké Udé Iké Udé (born 1964) is a Nigerian-American photographer, performance artist, author and publisher based in New York City, United States. Early life and education Udé was born in 1964 in Makurdi, Nigeria where he was raised. The eldest son of ...

, photographer, performance artist, author and publisher *

Dave Umahi David Nweze Umahi CON (born July 25, 1964) better known as Dave Umahi is a Nigerian politician who is currently serving as the Governor of Ebonyi State. Early life and education Umahi was born 25 July 1964. He is the son of Elder Joseph Uma ...

, politician * Justice Oko Orji (DJ Slam), 1998 set - Marine Engineer, Naval Officer (Nigerian Navy)

External links

GSSA Alumni Association Website

References

{{coord missing, Nigeria Secondary schools in Nigeria Boys' schools in Nigeria Education in Ebonyi State Educational institutions established in 1952 1952 establishments in Nigeria Government schools in Nigeria