St. Joseph's College, Sasse (Sasse College or Republic of Sasse) is the first secondary school in the
Cameroons. It is secondary school in the
Southwest Region of
Cameroon, with its campus located in
Sasse,
Buea. It was created in 1939 by the Mill Hill Missionaries.
Affiliated with the
Catholic faith as an all-male institution, it provides education at the first cycle and high school levels, offering programs in science and arts.
In 2012, Sasse college was awarded the prize of the best school in West Africa.
In 2013, Sasse College was awarded the pioneer prize of "Best School in Cameroon" by
Fondation Terre d'accueil.
The motto of the school is
Fides Quarens Intellectum meaning ''
'Faith seeking Understanding'.'' a reference to the philosophy of
St. Augustine
Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afri ...
(354–430) and
St. Anselm
Anselm of Canterbury, OSB (; 1033/4–1109), also called ( it, Anselmo d'Aosta, link=no) after Aosta, his birthplace and (french: Anselme du Bec, link=no) after his Abbey of Bec, monastery, was an Italian Benedictines, Benedictine monk, abbot, ...
(
c. 1033 – 1109) starting the life of a scholar is incomplete without first proceeding from a position of faith.
St Joseph’s College started timidly in Bonjongo, Buea, in 1937. The Mill Hill Missionaries later moved it to Sasse in 1939 as a Minor Seminary, where most of the students graduated and moved to the Major Seminary in
Owerri, Nigeria. Initially inaugurated with two dormitories only, a kitchen, a science laboratory and a handful of students, Sasse has grown in leaps and bounds. It has produced several priests, bishops and several other big names; the likes of former Prime Minister,
Peter Mafany Musonge,
Prof. Victor Anomah Ngu, Prof. Ephraim Ngwafor and so on. The current Principal of the College, Rev. Fr. Aloysius Ndifor Ituka, said, “After Harvard, we can say Sasse is the goal. We are doing our best to keep the standards flying.” Though a single sex education, it might be interesting to know that some ten women also passed through Sasse - Emerensia Besumbu Njume, now based in the US, attended Sasse in 1966. At the time, there was an attempt to transform the college into a co-educational institution. The attempt, however, botched and the girls were transferred to
Our Lady of Lourdes College, Bamenda and Queen of the Rosary College, Okoyong, Mamfe.
Houses
St. Joseph's College, Sasse has nine houses all named after
saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
s of the
catholic church, which are;
* Saint
Kizito
Saint Kizito (1872 – June 3, 1886) was one of the Martyrs of Uganda and the youngest martyr slain by the King Mwanga II of Buganda. He was baptized on 25/26 May 1886, by Charles Lwanga, the leader of Uganda's Christian community at the time, at ...
* Saint
Aquinas
* Saint
Paul
* Saint
James
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
* Saint
George
* Saint
Peter
* Saint
Augustine
* Saint
Marinus
* Saint
Martins
Principals and heads
Sasse College has had 21 Principals, the first being Rev. Fr. Aloys Schgor. After the white Rev. Fathers sowed the seeds of the College, the black Rev. Fathers continued the forts. The first black Principal was Rev. Fr. Lucas Atang who later on became Monsignor Atang (of blessed memory). He took over from Rev. Father L. Flinn, in 1970. All the Principals have been Rev. Fathers except Mr. Ferdinand E. Ngando, who was Principal in 1977 to 1992. He handed over to Monsignor James Toba.
Sasse School Anthem
Near the Buea Mountain
High above the sea,
Stands St. Joseph’s College
A place for you and me,
Tis here that we learn Biology
And Geometry and Chemistry.
''O Sasse by the Mountain!''
''O Sasse by the Sea!''
Time will come for the roll call,
Time for us to start!
Early in the morning
With strong and happy hearts.
I still feel the fragrance of the air,
The gardens fair and evening prayers!
''O Sasse by the Mountain!''
''O Sasse by the Sea!''
Marching in the study,
Going down to dine;
Resting in our billets
When bugle’s gone at nine.
We always remember Saturday nights,
The Sunday whites and Monday
bright!
''O Sasse by the Mountain!''
Sasse Old Boys
Former students of St. Joseph's College, Sasse are known as Sobans. The Sasse College Alumni association is known as ''Sasse Old Boys Association(SOBA)''. There are notable members of Cameroonian society that adhere to the Sasserian values and are extended an invitation to become members of Sasse Old Boys club. They generally known as Honorary Sobans.
See also
*
Education in Cameroon
References
Boys' schools in Cameroon
Buea
Catholic secondary schools in Africa
Secondary schools in Cameroon
Educational institutions established in 1939
1939 establishments in British Cameroon
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