Presbyterian Boys' Secondary School (or PRESEC) is an all-male academic institution founded in 1938. It was originally located at Odumase - Krobo in the Eastern Region of Ghana. It was started as a secondary school for boys by the Presbyterian Church of Ghana. The school has ties with its sister school, Aburi Girls' Senior High School.
The school's crest has a shield with the Presbyterian symbol (the St Andrew Cross-Scottish flag with the Swiss Flag embedded and a burning torch in the middle) with the motto of the school, "In Lumine Tuo Videbimus Lumen" (meaning "In Thy Light We Shall See Light"), scrolled beneath.
The school anthem is "Happy Are We", written by J. L. Anang.
The school was started in Odumase after a Ghanaian educationist with the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, E. A. W. Engmann lobbied for a boys' school to be started by the church. This came to fruition in 1938 with the first group of 16 boys and 4 teachers. Rev. Engmann was the first headmaster.
The Odumase campus housed German missionaries, then a primary school and then a government survey school before becoming the Presbyterian Boys' Secondary School.
One of the traditions of the school is the ɔdadeɛ (baobab tree) located on the campus. An alumnus of the school is referred to as Ɔdadeɛ. The baobab tree is a Ghanaian symbol of knowledge, resourcefulness and strength. New students were traditionally initiated at the feet of this tree clad in bedsheets and powdered faces. PRESEC was located here till 1968 when it was moved to its new permanent location at Legon, Mile 9.
In September 1968, the new campus at Legon just north east of the University of Ghana campus at 'Mile 9, received its first set of students. At the new campus it continued as a boys' boarding secondary school until the mid 1970s when the sixth form was upgraded to the National Science College. Female students were admitted into the sixth form in small numbers from September 1975. They continued to be part of the student body until June 1996 when the last batch left.
The Legon campus started with four student boarding houses. Three were named after notable Presbyterians as Kwansa House, Clerk House, and Engmann House. The fourth was named Akro House after the people of Krobo at Odumase. The next two houses to be built were Riis House and Labone House. With the completion of the National Science College buildings, Ako Adjei House and Owusu-Parry House were added (the latter named after the first Senior Prefect). Another house admitted its first residents in September 2010. Not forgetting the new house, House 10.In the houses, the boys are trained to be Christian gentlemen and fit into the Ghanaian society.
It regularly had one of the best GCE O-level and A-level results prior to the change of the national examination system to BECE and WASSCE.
In 1995 the school won the 2nd edition of the National Science and Math Quiz competition. PRESEC, Southern Sector Champions, defeated Opoku Ware School, Northern Sector Champion in the Final of Finals.
In 1999, the school scooped four out of the seven WAEC (West African Examinations Council) awards for the best individual performances in the final examinations for over 500 secondary schools.In 2002, at the National Constitution Quiz organized by the National Commission for Civic Education, PRESEC Civic Education Club emerged victorious.In 2003, PRESEC repeated the feat of 1995 by defeating Opoku Ware School in the National Science and Math Quiz competition. A student went on to win the overall best performance in the WAEC (West African Examinations Council) SSSCE examinations that year.On 1 July 2006 the school won the National Science and Maths Quiz for a third time. The school was given the competition trophy for keeps. PRESEC defeated St. Peters' Secondary School, then defending champions, in the final.On 16 June 2008, NIIT Ghana organised the inter-school ICT Quiz contest at The Great Hall, Kumasi which showcased the talent from five regions of Ghana. 78 schools participated from the regions in regional qualifying rounds to make it to the mega-finals. One winner from every region, contested for the National Title of NIIT ICT Expert 2008 in Kumasi. PRESEC, emerged the champions- NIIT ICT Expert 2008 Winners beating the regional champions: St. James Seminary SHS, Sunyani (Brong-Ahafo), Opoku Ware School, Kumasi (Ashanti Region), St. Augustine’s College, Cape Coast (Central Region) and Baidoo Bonsoe SHS, Takoradi (Western Region).On 8 July 2008, PRESEC won the National Science and Math Quiz for a 4th time. The school defeated Opoku Ware School in the final. This made it the 3rd time PRESEC has defeated Opoku Ware in the final. On 24 June 2009, not only did PRESEC win the prestigious quiz competition for a fifth time, but also, they became the first school ever to successfully defend their title as National Champions. PRESEC defeated Achimota Senior High School in the final.In 2010, two students represented Ghana and won a bronze medal in the International Junior Science Olympiad, out of 35 countries across the world.In 2010, a student was honoured at the WASSCE 2009 Excellence Awards Ceremony, as Best Candidate in the General Science Program, the National Best Candidate and then the Overall Best Candidate in West Africa; and a student was Overall Best in the Business Program.On 13 May 2011, the school won the VRA 50th Anniversary Inter-Schools Debate Competition beating Mfantsipim School in the finals of the competition.September 2011, the school won the Sprite Ball Inter-Schools Basketball Championship, defeating defending champions, Achimota School 10-8 in the finals.On 2 September 2011, the school won the maiden edition of the Coke Hit Single. The competition featured musical talents from 32 senior high schools who vied for the ultimate title of "Coke Hit Single" - Best high school musical talents in Ghana.In March 2013, during the WASSCE 2012 Excellence Awards, a student was judged the Overall Best Candidate in the General Arts Program in the West African Examinations Council's examinations (West African Examinations Council) conducted throughout the West African sub-region; in a year where the Council recorded its highest number 'ever' of candidates meeting its minimum eligibility criterion for the excellence awards, that is 8 grade A1s - (530 candidates out of the total 174,385 candidates who sat for the May/June WASSCE in 2012).Politics, government, and public policy
Lt. Gen. F. W. K. Akuffo - Head of State of Ghana (5 July 1978 - 4 June 1979)Kwesi Botchwey - Ghana's longest serving Minister of Finance (1982–1995) and Chairman - Ghana National Gas Development Task ForceAaron Mike Oquaye - Speaker of the 7th Parliament of the 4th Republic (2017 to 2021) and former Minister of Communication (2005 to 2009).Bright Simons - IMANI Ghana and 2012 World Economic Forum (WEF) Young Global Leader (YGL)Alex Tettey-Enyo - former Minister of EducationHon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa - MP - Member of Parliament - North Tongu and Deputy Minister of Education (2013 - )Kofi Portuphy- National Coordinator - National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO)and National Chairman-National Democratic CongressKwabena Boahen - Professor of Bioengineering and Neuromorphic Engineering, Stanford University.Ernest Aryeetey - Vice Chancellor of University of Ghana - Legon (2010 - ).E. Bamfo-Kwakye - former Vice Chancellor of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) 1974 - 1983.Arts and entertainment
Augustine Abbey (Idikoko) - (Idikoko) - owner of Great Idikoko Ventures and President of Film Producers Association of Ghana.Kwaku Sintim-Misa - Ghanaian actor, political satirist and host of 'Thank God it's Friday'.Ezekiel Ansah - American football Defensive End for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL)Andrew Owusu - international triple jump championCorporate, business, and finance
Samuel Sarpong - Deputy Managing Director - Ghana Commercial Bank.Benjamin Kwakye - Harvard Law School graduate, author, lawyer and winner of the 2006 Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book (Africa Region)Victor Kofi Agawu - Professor of Music, Princeton University.Elom Adablah- Also known as EL,rapper and musician (Artiste of the Year at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards)Hammer of The Last Two - producer and sound engineer
