Tamale Senior High School

Tamale Senior High School
Address
P. O. Box 50 E.R Tamale 

Education Ridge, Sagnarigu

Northern Region

Ghana
Information
Former names
  • Gbewaa Secondary School
  • Government Secondary School, Tamale
  • Tamale Secondary School
School typeSecondary co-educational boarding school
MottoFortiter, Fideliter and Feliciter
(Boldly, Faithfully, Successfully)
Established1951
StatusActive
School boardBoard of Governors
School districtSagnarigu Municipal District
OversightGhana Education Service
GradesForms 1–3 (Grades 10–12)
GenderCo-ed
Age range14 to 18 years
Education systemSenior High School
LanguageEnglish
NicknameTamasco
RivalsGhana Senior High School (Tamale)

Tamale Senior High School formerly Government Secondary School, Tamale, Gbewaa Secondary School, and more recently Tamale Secondary School is a co-educational second cycle boarding school located at Education Ridge, a suburb of the Sagnarigu Municipality. The school was founded in 1951 by the then British Colonial Authorities as the first second cycle institution of the Northern Territories.

The school is a selective school that grants admissions to students in Ghana based on their results in the Basic Education Certificate Examination, and for students outside Ghana, based on a special entrance examination prepared by the school. Courses offered by the school include; Business, General Science, Home Economics, Technical, General Arts, and Visual Arts.

Tamale Senior High School is considered amongst institutions of the highest prestige in Ghana, due to its longstanding history predating independent Ghana, and its prominent alumni. The school can count amongst its ranks; a head of State,  two vice presidents of the fourth republic of Ghana, a speaker of parliament, two Justices of the Supreme Court of Ghana, two Chiefs of Defence Staff, and a host of government ministers and members of parliament.

History

Tamale Senior High School was founded by then British Colonial Administration as Government Secondary School, Tamale in 1951. The school was developed from an already existing middle school called the Tamale Senior Boys School. The school then became the first secondary school in then Northern Territories under the then British Colonial Administration. The main objective of the establishment of the institution amongst others was to mitigate the widening gap of the human resource capacity between the North and the South of the then British Colony. The school throughout its existence has gone various name changes. In 1972, the name of the school was changed to Gbewaa Secondary School. The name was later changed to Tamale Secondary School and now, Tamale Senior High School.  

Admissions

Tamale Senior High School was originally founded for students in the Northern territories but later opened to students in the south. As a selective school, admissions are based on the results of applicants in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). After the results are released, students gain admission through a computerised system that selects students who chose the school prior to writing their BECE based on their raw score. Due to this, students gain admission solely on merit. For students outside Ghana who want to attend the school, special entrance examinations are organised by the school to accept such students based on merit. After students who qualify are given admission, they are given an official prospectus which will help them know what is required of them as new students of the school. Prior to the introduction of common national entry examinations, students from the Northern territories were selected based on specially prepared examinations on English and Arithmetic. Students who passed were selected by a local selection board and awarded the scholarships. Also, following ongoing pressure and concerted efforts from the Northern Territories Council, both the Colonial Administration and later the Nkrumah Regime established the Special Northern Scholarship Scheme which enabled individuals from the Northern territories, who lacked secondary education but exhibited a strong desire and aptitude for higher studies, to gain admission to the school. These students were subsequently afforded the opportunity to pursue further education at the expense of the Central Government. Some of these students included John S. Nabila who later became Minister for Information and Tourism during the Limann regime.

Curriculum and halls of residence

Courses provided by the school at its inception were; English, Mathematics, Science, History, Latin, Geography, Citizenship, Hygiene and Physiology, Agriculture, Music, Arts and Crafts. The Crafts taught were Cloth Weaving, Book Binding, Leather Work and Pottery. Today, courses run by the school include; Business, General Science, Home Economics, Technical, General Arts, and Visual Arts. Students who apply for the school also choose the course they will want to offer prior to writing their BECE examination. The computerised system subsequently places students not only into the school but also into their preferred course.

There are eight halls of residence in the school and they are;

  • Tamakloe House
  • Gbewaa House
  • Pattinson House
  • Nkrumah House
  • Hayfron House
  • Wemah House
  • Gbadamosi House
  • Bawumia House

Former Headmasters

1.1960–1964 Mr. Kenneth L. Purser

2. 1964–1967 Mr. B. O. Ayittey

3. 1967–1969 Mr. A. F. Clayton

4. Sept. 1969–1970 Mr. W. A. Ofori

5.1970–1973 Mr. Adu

6. 1973–1980 Alhaji Rahimu Gbadamosi

7. 1980-1982 Mr Abu Juan

7. 1981–1982 Mr. S. M. Amankwa

8. 1983–1986 Mr. Mahama Adam (AG)

9. 1986–1988 Mr. L. M. Awuni (AG)

10. 1988–1990 Mr. E. K. Kudiabor

11. 1990–1991 Mr. A. A. Daramanu

12. 1991–1998 Mr. Bolina Saaka

13. 1998–2001 Alhaji Amadu Belko

14. Feb. 2001 – Oct. 2001 Mrs. Mary Asobayire Dan-Braimah (AG)

15. Oct. 2001–2004.. Alhaji Mahamadu Saani Abdul-Rahman

16. 2005–2008 Alhaji T. A. Mahama

17. 2004–2005 Mr. J. B. Dakorah

18. 2008–2016 Mr. J. B. Dakorah

19. 2008–2016 Mrs. Mary Asobayire Dan-Braimah

20.2016–ŋun na beni Hajia Amina Musah

21. 2017 Shaibu Adams Wilberforce

22. 2021 Rev Edward Azika

Alumni

Alumni of Tamale Senior High School are those old students who have excelled in their various fields of endeavor. Alumni of the school have played prominent roles in government and public service. Some these old students are listed below;

Government and politics

Judges

Academia

Business, banking and finance

Media

Military and police

Religion

Sports

NSMQ Records

  • 2021: Qualified to Semi-final stage of the Ghana National Science and Maths Quiz competition for the first time, after beating Adisadel College and Kumasi Academy, with the scores; Tamale Senior High 59, Adisadel College 44 and Kumasi Academy 30.

See also