In a grand style, the Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School at Kpong, in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality of Ghana’s Eastern Region, has officially launched its 25th anniversary celebration under the theme “Silver Jubilee of Learning, Discipline and Holistic Catholic Education.”
The colourful ceremony, held at the school’s Assembly Hall on Saturday, January 31, 2026, was chaired by Prof. Eric Nyarko-Sampson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD), Somanya.
Rev. Msgr. Francis Twum Barimah, Vicar General of the Catholic Diocese of Koforidua, who was the Special Guest of Honour, officially launched the anniversary celebrations and offered prayers and blessings for the school.
As part of the ceremony, the school fraternity, with the support of guests, officially unveiled the 25th Anniversary logo and the commemorative anniversary cloth. Guests were treated to impressive cultural performances by the students, adding colour and vibrancy to the event.
The celebration was graced by distinguished personalities, including Rev. Sr. Elizabeth Paula Nkansah Ochere, Superior General of the Handmaids of the Divine Redeemer (HDR) Sisters; Hon John Atteh Matey, Municipal Chief Executive for Lower Manya Krobo; Mr. Samuel Kwesi Tettey, Municipal Director of Education; Mr. Jude Adjare, Regional Manager of the Catholic Education Unit, and Ing. Philip Tetteh Padi of the Volta River Authority (VRA), who pledged their unflinching support in various ways to help propel the school to greater heights.
In her address, Sr. Paulina Osei, Headmistress of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School, thanked stakeholders of the school for being a part of the good fruit of the school they planted 25 years ago. According to her, over the past 25 years, “the school has grown into a distinguished institution known for excellence, discipline, and self-changing education.”
“Our students continue to excel consistently in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), securing high grades and admissions into top Senior High Schools (SHS),” she stated, adding that “They also do well in Regional and District academic competitions, quizzes, and school-based assessments.”
According to Sr. Osei, many of the alumni are working in organisations holding high positions, saying, “This is a testament to the strong foundation they received at Our Lady of Fatima school.”
She indicated that the mission of the school goes beyond academics, stating, “We shape learners’ faith, character, and moral integrity through daily devotions, liturgical participation, catechesis and moral instructions, youth ministry activities such as choirs, lectors, and altar serving.”
The Headmistress announced that last month, 32 pupils of the school received Baptism and First Holy Communion at St. Alphonse Church, thanking Rev. Fr. Francis Nyarko-Bamfo, who has been seeing to the spiritual growth of the school.
She said the learners were always ready and zealous in participating in drama and poetry, inter-school sports competitions, debates, public speaking, and spell B, journalism, and creative arts.
“We continue to nurture talents that build confidence and leadership, and by God’s grace and community support, we have achieved additional classrooms, renovated facilities, a functional computer lab, a science lab, a music theatre, which will be commissioned in October this year, improved washrooms, and upgraded assembly grounds.”
She appealed to stakeholders to support a legacy project worth GHc700,000, earmarked as part of the anniversary activities.
She noted that the project, which is expected to be completed by the climax of the celebrations later this year, will significantly transform the school and enhance its capacity to train future leaders of Ghana.
The idea of establishing Our Lady of Fatima School was mooted by the Sisters of the Handmaid of Divine Redeemer at the Annual General Meeting at Agormanya in the year 2000.
This came about in fulfillment of implementing an article in the Congregation’s constitution which states that “we are to care for women and children in the Krobo land (locality) and in Ghana as a whole. Therefore, the congregation decided to establish a reputable school to give first-class education to the children, especially the girls in the locality, under the able leadership of Sr. Consolata Agyepong, the then Superior General.
In September 2001, a Girls Boarding School was formally started at Agomanya in the Mother Home, using the premises of the former St. Theresa’s Hostel, which was faced out, with an initial enrolment of seven (7) girls. By the end of the first term, the number rose to 10 pupils. However, with present social demands, the originally girls’ school has been changed to a mixed one.
The Catholic Church has a vision to provide education based on Gospel Values and mission to contribute to the efforts of the government in the provision of formal education and the development of physical, social, intellectual, mental, moral and spiritual dimensions of the individual to become God fearing and imbued with the Gospel’s spirit of humility, service and love for one’s neighbour and country.
The HDR Congregation is an indigenous Catholic Women Religious Congregation based in Ghana founded by the late Bishop Joseph Oliver Bowers, Divine Word Missionary, (SVD) in 1957 with education as one of its apostolates.
The Our Lady of Fatima School established in 2001 has had the following HDR Sisters as Heads: Sr. Gertrude Lucy Kwaku, 2001-2004; Sr. Clare Spencer, 2004-2006; Sr. Genevieve Ofori-Atta, 2006-2011; Sr. Gifty Amoah Godwyl, 2011-2016; Sr. Marcellina Kotorchie, 2016-2021 and Sr. Paulina Osei, 2021 to date.
