Stories and facts
Chemu Secondary School, located in Community Four of Tema in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, is a coeducational day-boarding institution with no provision for hostel facilities.
Established to address the rising demand for secondary education in Tema and to provide a more affordable alternative to high boarding fees, the school was part of an initiative led by Ama Atta Aidoo, the Ghanaian Secretary of the Ministry of Education at the time.
The school's origins trace back to the conversion of the Community 4 No. 2 Middle School into a model day secondary school, initially named Tema Day Secondary School.
On October 12, 1982, Chemu Secondary School officially opened its doors with 86 students and a teaching staff of nine. The school's first headmaster was Mr. P.K. Dzitri, who was seconded from Tema Secondary School, along with Assistant Bursar Mr. Gilbert Kpelende.
Initially, the school’s student body comprised remnants of Common Entrance candidates from Tema Secondary School, as Chemu was not listed on the Common Entrance List at the time. Some additional students joined through a late entrance examination conducted by the school.
Due to an appeal from the Tema Traditional Council, the school's name was later changed from Tema Day School to Chemu Secondary School. An attempt to rename it to Adjetey Ansah Secondary School in the early 1990s was unsuccessful due to opposition, including resistance from the Students’ Representative Council.
Chemu Secondary School offers a variety of academic programs, including General Science, General Arts, Visual Arts, Home Economics, and Technical.
The school's facilities have expanded significantly since its modest beginnings, now featuring about forty classrooms, a large canteen, a sickbay, a changing room, a KVIP constructed with assistance from PAMSCAD, an ultra-modern washroom built with the aid of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly and other stakeholders, a basketball court, an assembly hall, and two school buses, among other amenities.
Over the years, Chemu Secondary School has gained recognition for its academic and extracurricular achievements. Notable accomplishments include high pass rates and a remarkable 3rd place finish in the National Science and Mathematics Quiz during its first entry in 2001.
The school has also received accolades such as the Best Teacher Award at the Tema District secondary school level in 1996 and 1999, and it secured top positions in regional competitions, including a 3rd place finish in 1995 and a 1st place finish in 2002.
In sports, Chemu has produced prominent athletes, such as Monica Twum, who competed in the Olympic Games, and footballers Dan Addo and Attakora Amaniampong, who were part of Ghana’s Black Starlets squad that won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1991 and 1995, respectively. These achievements highlight the school's growth and success in various fields since its inception.
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