St. Augustine's College (Cape Coast)

The St. Augustine’s College is an all-male academic institution in Cape Coast, Ghana. The school is on old Elmina road and is near the University of Cape Coast, at the shore of the Atlantic Ocean. The school started at Amissano, a village near Elmina, in 1930. The Roman Catholic institution was established to serve as a training college and a seminary.

History

On 6 August 1933, the Catholic Church under the leadership of Monsignor W. T. Porter, the Bishop of Cape Coast Vicariate considered the need to have a separate Catholic School. Cape Coast was found to be the most suitable to host the first catholic school. As a result, by the end of the 1935 a foundation stone had been laid at the present site at Cape Coast and Fr. Maurice B. Kelly, the Dean of the Training College at Amissano became the first head Dean of St. Augustine’s college. The school was named after St. Augustine of Hippo (AD 354 - 430 AD). The cherished dream of the founding fathers of the college was that boys who passed through the college would imbibe the values and exemplary life of St. Augustine’s.

The motto of the college is “Omnia Vincit Labor”, meaning “Perseverance Conquers All”.

An important part of the culture of the school is that Dean/Head Professors, Senior Student Counsel/Prefect and the Protocol Counsel/Prefect his assistant should be Roman Catholics. Also, the Anniversary/Ceremonial day of the school should take place on the Saturday nearest St. Patrick’s Day (which falls usually around second or third week in March every year).

St. Augustine’s College, popularly known as ‘AUGUSCO’, calls its old students ‘APSUNIANS’. There have been deliberate efforts on the part of both Holy Child School old students (HOPSA) and St. Augustine’s old students (APSUNIANS) to marry. The church believes marriage between old students of the two schools will perpetuate the Catholic traditions.

The population of the school is 1,461, with about 8% of them being day students. (Credit: The Fiankoma Project). St. Augustine's College is particularly known for its Economics and Business Programmes, a testimony to this fact is that most of Ghana's Finance and Cabinet Ministers were educated at this College such as Messrs Victor Selormey,Dr Bernard Osei Tutu, professor of Electro-physiology and Clinical Medicine at the University of Minnesota and Makerere University of Uganda. Dr. Pakwesi Nduom, Hackman Owusu-Agyeman,Dr. Paul Acquah governor of B.O.G. etc. and notable Banking & Finance figures in Africa such as Mr. Donkor Fordjuor, Mr. Jude Bucknor and many others. In the history of this prestigious institution many nobles both foreign and local have been educated and trained to serve in various fields. During its inception and throughout the early 1990s it awarded degrees in Advanced programmes in Economics and Business Management as well as the conventional Sciences such as Biochemistry etc. Unfortunately however, in the late 1990s due to the then erstwhile NDC Government the whole National Education System was scrapped for a newer system to the dismay of the majority,the Government subsequently changed the entire format of education(academia) and its entitlements with respect to accreditations modeled after the British Educational System. This transition was believed to bridge th gap between the elite and the lower class, a policy propagated by then erstwhile Military Government under President Jerry Rawlings, formally categorising it as a school of higher learning.The College continues to educate Ghana's elite and has a very prestigious para-military cadet programme which prepares students to enroll into the Military Academy to train as Officers, a product being former Chief OF Defence Staff(CDS), General Arnold Quainoo and many other High ranking officers. This August institution has a dominance in National Sports partly in due to its private funding primarily from past students who hold powerful and influential positions in Government and Society and have access to an abundance of wealth.The College has great heritage with most students following family tradition by enrolling at the school. Admissions is highly competitive in order to keep in line with its reputation and distinction, though it is highly regarded for its benevolence through its scholarship programme for students unable to afford tuition etc. It also has exchange programmes with Foreign Institutions such as the German Goethe Institute and AFS Intercultural Programme and many other academic institutions.

....FROM DA BOY.... Among a numerous number of famous old boys Chelsea FC midfielder Michael Essien' who graduated in 1998 and Mathew Amoah of the Dutch Eredivisie side NAC Breda in The Netherlands. Jonas Atingdui a prolific economic writer. Jonathan Atingdui a Political Economist and Portfolio Accountant. Those who have excelled in both the academia and national politics include Mr. Donkor Fordjuor, an economist who served as Ghana's Finance Minister in the second republic. He is a devout catholic whose immense contributions to both the school and the church have not gone unnoticed as he has been awarded by the Vatican among other Ghanaians such as Prof. Dr.Dr. Wereko-Brobbey of the KNUST, School of Medical Sciences. Mr William K.A. Obeng [London].Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, Hon. Felix Owusu Agyepong, a leading member of the ruling New Patriotic Party, Hon. Hackman Owusu Agyemang, Majority Leader, joseph samuel williams of university of south florida honors school and Prof Clifford Nii Boye Tagoe, Vice-Chancellor of The University of Ghana, Legon, and Nana Yaw Asante, a forensic accountant with Pricewaterhouse Coopers, New York.

In the last edition of 2007 National Science and Mathematics Quiz,the College won and two out of the three contestants represented Ghana team three(3)won the West African Science and Mathematics Quiz.

Indeed among the all male Senior High Schools in Ghana currently, it is the primus inter pares.

The school has 10 Houses providing room and board, typically named after Catholic Saints with the exception of Kelly & Glynn's Houses named after two of the Colleges founding and Prominent Catholic Monks. These are St. Peter's House, Glynn House, St. Stephens House,Hon. St. Patrick's House, St. Theresa's House, St. George's House, St. Luke's House, Kelly House, St. John's House and St. Joseph's