E-NEWSLETTER OF KETASCO

The
KETASCO
PAST STUDENTS ASSOCIATION

Dzolalian 7th Edition - August 2022

Lokpodzi nyanyuiwo nekaka

70th Anniversary
Launched
CONTENTS
06
03
From the President’s Desk
‘How would KETASCO be if
everyone thinks and acts like you?’

10
Computer Centre handed over
to KETASCO

13
KETASCO celebrates SRC Week

14
Preparation for retirement

17
Never trust a cat and its owner

20
70th Anniversary launch poem

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The

PRESIDENT’S DESK
kojo mattah
LET’S KEEP THE MOMENTUM
M
omentum can be explained simply as the energy
or drive to do something. It is defined in Physics
as the quantity of motion of a moving body,
measured as a product of its mass and velocity. It is a
term that describes the strength of a moving object. As
a lay person and with very little knowledge in Physics, I
thought I was veering into uncharted waters of NSMQ.
I quickly searched its synonyms and found impetus,
energy, force, drive, push, speed, among others. (I
sighed with great relief especially as there was no quiz
mistress.)
The absence of drive takes us into a state of inertia, which
is again described in Physics as a property of matter by
which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform
motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by
an external force. Simply put, the tendency to do nothing
or remain unchanged.
Again, a popular African anecdote that vividly describes
the state of always taking action, goes as follows: “Every
morning in Africa, an antelope wakes up. It knows
it must outrun the fastest lion, or it will be killed.
Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it
must run faster than the slowest antelope, or it will
starve. It doesn’t matter whether you’re the lion or
an antelope – when the sun comes up, you’d better
be running.”
As an association, I believe we have so much to do that
we cannot afford to take our eyes off the ball, or get into
a state of inertia. We must keep moving and keep the
momentum. And we must keep the momentum in the
right direction.
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The
FROM THE
NSMQ 2022
The preparations for the 2022 NSMQ are progressing
steadily, as planned. However, since the target is to
exceed the 2021 performance and bring the coveted
trophy to KETASCO, we must whip up more enthusiasm,
energy, drive, and indeed, momentum, in terms of larger
and timely support for the team. We appreciate all the
support during and after the last competition, and we are
definitely grateful for the ones that are trickling in now.
One thing we must bear in mind is that all eyes will be on
TEAM KETASCO. The expectations will be much higher
than in 2021, as we are no longer underdogs, but the
team to watch. What we achieved together last year must
not be seen as a fluke, and there are many more people
across our nation and beyond who would be delighted to
come on our side again – but we must give them cause
to support us.
We must move into a higher gear and do better than the
preparations that took us to the NSMQ 2021 finals. No
amount is small. Let us provide the resources they need
to do the hard training now, so they can have an easy
battle. As our school’s motto exhorts us, “DZO LALI” and
the moment is NOW. Let us keep the momentum.
69th Anniversary Sermon
In February this year, KETASCO celebrated its 69th
anniversary with a series of events, including lectures,
bonfire, health walk, a grand durbar and thanksgiving
service. The joy at some of these events when old friends
reunited and recalled the good old days, was refreshing.
One thing that stuck with me was the sermon by Rev.
 Scenes from the 69th Anniversary
Francis Deku on the theme: how will KETASCO be if
everyone thinks and acts like you? This question
keeps reverberating in my ears, my mind, and in my spirit,
and I want to challenge every one of us to reflect on it
more, even as we strive to keep up the momentum.
70th Anniversary Launch and
Project Nexus
We have successfully launched the 70th anniversary from
May 2022, with the theme: KETASCO at 70 – Retrospect
and Prospect. There are several events being planned
to mark this landmark in the history of our Alma Mater
in grand style. At the launch, the Guest of Honor, Chief
Alhassan Andani, encouraged us to ensure we patronize
all the events in our great numbers. He summed it up with
a popular Dagbon proverb: it is the shame of the dog
if the goat attacked intruders.
I am hopeful we shall all take active and joyful part in the
events, which include lectures, fun games, health walks,
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04 The
dinner dance and awards, and the grand durbar.
A key highlight of the 70th anniversary launch was the
launch of Project Nexus, which is aimed at raising funds
to execute vital projects in the school to improve the
teaching and learning environment. The idea is to get
at least 500 past students to contribute a minimum
of GHS1,000 per year for the next 3 years. (This also
means those who can afford it, could give GHS3,000 or
more in one go.) Some of the projects earmarked are, the
reroofing of the junior classroom block, the replacement
of the ceilings of the junior and senior classroom blocks,
and the start of the dining hall extension.
It is a fact that many schools are under pressure to
cope with the huge increases in the number of students
resulting from the Government’s Free SHS policy. The
facilities and resources of many schools have not seen
any significant maintenance in decades. Our dear school
is no exception. The ones that have some respite are
 Scenes from the 69th Anniversary

being hugely supported by the past students and to have done some good work in KETASCO. However, there
some extent, the parents. is still more to do.

It is true, we should pat ourselves on the back that we Let us keep the momentum!!

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The
 ‘How would KETASCO be if
everyone thinks and acts like you?’ By Fafa Korley
O
n the 27th February, 2022, KETASCO 69th
Anniversary was crowned with a thanksgiving
service on the football park at 9.00am. The
occasion was graced by the presence of notable
Dzolalians and guests; Agbotadua Togbivi Kumassah,
The MCE of Keta- Courage Gemegah, the National
President of the Past Students Association- Mr. Kojo
Mattah, the headmaster- Mr. Isaac Kofi Dzidzienyo and
some members of the 1972, 1982, 1992, 1997, 2002 and
2012 year groups.
At the service, Rev. Francis Busenu Deku delivered a
sermon entitled “ How would KETASCO be if everyone
thinks and acts like you?” His text was taken from Proverb
6:6-11
“Go to the ant, thou sluggard: consider her ways,
and be wise:
Ants having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provide
their meat in the summer and gather their food in
the harvest. How long will thou sleep, O sluggard?
When will thou rise out of their sleep? Yet a little
sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands
to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that
travelleth, and thy want as an armed man”
In his analogy, he believed that if all past students worked
effectively like the ant, our Alma Mater will be one of the
greatest schools in the Ghana, if not be best. He asserted
that just as people of old were inspired to go to the ant for
some social and classical lessons, we were also asked
to study the ways of the tiny ant to make KETASCO great.
He asked all Dzolalians a simple question: “Can we
sustain the academic excellence and success of
KETASCO, if everyone thinks and acts like us?” Rev. Deku
asserted that just as the ant colony has; workers, males,
and the Queen and each of them has its roles to play, our
fraternity is likened to that, and we all have to do our bid to
improve on our course.
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He added that for us to have a sustainable success and
academic excellence, each and everyone one of us;
teachers, non-teaching staff, parents and past students,
current students, management and the Board of Directors
have peculiar tasks to perform.
Rev. Deku admonished all to learn the way of the Biblical
ant because it had various virtues; well organized- The
ants are so organized that in the colony, they worked
through division of labour and nothing is left undone. The
ant has selfless unity- Ants have an unbelievable spirit
of selfless unity. If any of them finds food, it immediately
passes the message to the others, and they all come
together to enjoy or gather enough to be used later in
future. Likewise, if there are any jobs to do, they all put
their hands on deck to get it done on time.
Rev. Francis Busenu Deku recounted some other qualities
of the ants, pointing out that ants have amazing sense
of discipline, they take action in time, are tireless,
persistent, have incredible speed, great planning
skills and an incredible teamwork spirit. And that if
ever we, the Dzolalian fraternity and other stakeholders
want to make any meaningful strides in the operations
of our Alma Mater, we all have to imbibe the ways of the
tiny ant.
He stressed that the active nature of the ant attracted
King Solomon very much and that made him rebuked the
lazy man. “You idler, go to the ant, watch her ways and
be wise, she has no master, no steward or overseer. She
secures food in summer and stores up provisions during
harvest”. If everyone behaves and thinks like you, how
would the school be?
The preacher man encouraged all present; students,
past students, teachers, headmaster, management
and the board of Directors never to be tired working
towards sustaining academic excellence. He added
that challenges and obstacles may raise their ugly heads
but when they do, just as the ants will device a different
route in carrying their food into their colony for use of all,
we should always brainstorm to find lasting solutions to
whatever challenges we face in sustaining development
or academic excellence of our great school.
Rev. Francis Busenu reminded all gathered about what
the Bible says in Luke 14:28; “for which of you intending
to build a tower sitteth not down first and counted the
cost, whether he has sufficient to finish it”. He reminded
all of us that time for the National Science and Maths Quiz
competition will surely come, time to write the WASSCE
will surely come also and that is the main reason we need
to start planning now and stop depending on the so
called “apor” at the last hour. If everyone thinks and acts
like you, how would the school be?
It is clear that some past students sit on the fence and
claim they are done with the school. According to them
they attended KETASCO and have nothing to do with it
any more. These people will never visit the school during
any anniversary, will not contribute anything to the school
in showing appreciation for what the school had offered
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them, they will not even join their year groups for anything.
All that some of them do is to criticize, lambast and
condemn everything and everyone. These people are
rather the first to jubilate when something good happens
and boast of their commitment to the school. Alakpa
sonn.
The question therefore is “if everyone thinks and acts like
you, what would be the fate of our most cherished Alma
Mater?” Are you in any way learning the ways of the ant?
Are you making the most of every opportunity that comes
your way? Do you sit aloof when the youth misbehave or
dress inappropriately?
Rev. Deku ended his sermon by stressing that we should
all emulate the attitude of the colony of the ants and work
together for the betterment of KETASCO.
DZO LALI: Now or Never.
God richly bless you all.
Scenes from the 70th Anniversary Launch

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Scenes from the 70th Anniversary Launch

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 COMPUTER CENTRE
HANDED OVER TO KETASCO
By Venia Makafui Adjei

O
n Thursday, June 16, 2022 the North American
Branch of the KETASCO Past Students Association
handed- over an Alumni Centre to the school.
Togbui Agbotadua Kumassah, the chairman for the
occasion, in his address identified the lack of access to
computers in the past as being a handicap to the past
students and as such the Alumni Centre would help
resolve this handicap.
The alumni centre project began when the headmaster
reached out to Dr. John Dogbe (a representative of
the North America Alumni of KETASCO Past Students
Association) concerning an upcoming exams but there
were not enough computers at the time to undertake the
exams. Accordingly, Dr. John Dogbe, he reached out to
his year group, and they accepted to donate computers
to the school and also undertake a few more projects
like renovating the existing ICT centre, hence, the Alumni
Centre.
The Alumni Centre would serve as a general teaching
and learning centre, as well as a place
for students who would like to challenge
themselves to write international exams
towards studying abroad. He advised that
they take advantage of the centre to explore
the opportunities. And also, a resources
centre for the NSMQ candidates to aid their
preparation for the NSMQ competition.
He cautioned both staff and students to take good care
of the computers and make good use of the internet
access and not to use them for unnecessary and
inappropriate social media interactions. He promised that
if they are able to prove themselves worthy of the Centre,
more will be provided.
Dr. Kojo Gbewonyo, the guest of honour, was pleased
with the North American chapter of the Alumni Association
of past students. He appreciated them for giving back
to their Alma Mater. He acknowledged the headmaster
and the students for their performance at the National
Science and Maths Quiz competition. And then, shared
his experience of his school days. He entered KETASCO
under the administration of Mr. J. W. Abruquah (the
then Headmaster) who was responsible for most of the
buildings in the school. Mr Abruquah after his tenure in
the school went back to Mfantsipim school where he
created a path for the gem and brilliant ones in KETASCO
to continue at Mfantsipim, as KETASCO at the time only
offered Arts courses. There were no science courses
offered for those who may have wanted to do science.

Dr. John Dogbe mentioned that the world

today is rapidly changing and the right time
for the students to learn about the basics of
computing and other technologies as well
as everything that they need to know is now.
He admonished the students to always
grasp the opportunity to learn, explore
and discover knowledge in various ways
anytime they pass by the Alumni Centre.
He recounted how he slept in the computer
lab continuously to learn every aspect of
programming and the outcome today is
massive.

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But this channel created opportunities for some KETASCO
students and two of them even gained scholarships to
schools abroad to pursue their dreams.
He emphasized ICT is about how we acquire knowledge,
store knowledge and share knowledge. Computer used
to be scarce those days and made it very difficult for just
anyone to touch the computer. However, the revolution in
the 80s occurred when Steve Jobs and Bill Gates created
personal computers to make computers available at
the desks of everyone. Then, we had Internet to link
computers to make communication to people far away
easier.
Dr. Gbewonyo then challenged the science tutors not to
only train students in theoretical knowledge but practical
as well. He further explained to them how they can make
good use of the resources around them for practical
tuition. He gave examples of how in the early days,
shallots were extensively grown in the Keta sub region
and neighbouring countries had to come and buy. During
those times, fish scales were used to produce fertilizers
and wells were dug at both ends of the farms to provide
fresh water for watering the vegetables. Teachers can
use creative methods to practicalize their teachings. One
example is salt winning; teachers can use the processes
of salt winning used by the local natives to teach the
children hands on practicals for better understanding of
the lessons.
In conclusion, he advised that a little pond be set up for
practice purpose and this could attract tourists as well.
Mr Isaac Dzidzienyo, the headmaster, welcomed
everyone to the programme and appreciated the
opportunity given him to come back to the school as the
headmaster. He indicated that education is the pathway
for opportunities that abound in this universe and that he
is passionate about creating these opportunities for the
young ones. He promised to inculcate the Anlo values
in the students. Consequently, KETASCO will keep
focusing on things of honour, worthy of respect and of
things that will keep the eagle in the company of stars to
move the school into glory. He added that past students
have been of many blessings to their schools all over the
nation and so has KETASCO benefited from these past
students both through material and human resources.
An example is the Pioneers’ library, multi-purpose court,
new girls’ dormitory, ultramodern ICT centre and logistics
such as books, deep freezers, science and medical
equipment, communication equipment, teaching and
learning materials and many more which were delivered
at the point of need.
He expressed his gratitude for the efforts made by
the past students for pushing the school forward and
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encourage them to continue to do more in creating better
opportunities for the young ones. He ended his speech
by saying that; “prosperity of these young ones lies in our
hands” so he is thankful for the support.
Mr. Gerhard Avudzivi, the District Director of Education
in the Keta Municipality was pleased to be a witness to
the handing over of the new ultra-modern ICT centre
sponsored by the North America Alumni of KETASCO
Past Students Association. He made reference to a quote
by Aristotle saying, “education is the best provision for old
age” and the fact that North America branch of KETASCO
Alumni has taken this noble initiative to support their alma
mater by providing these students and those yet to come
the opportunity to acquire knowledge for their old age he
will say, much grease to their elbow.
He urged the school to take good care of the facility to
prolong its usage and to maximise the investments made
by our brothers in the diaspora. He quoted a statement
made by Nelson Mandela on education, “Education is
the most powerful weapon one can use to change the
whole world”. It is his desire that the Alumni Centre will be
used to discover learning in diverse ways and engage
students in their learning environments to promoting their
thinking skills and respecting their opinions regardless of
their backgrounds.
On behalf of the education directorates, he appreciated
the efforts put in place by the North America Alumni. He
urged the students to study hard for the future is theirs.
Togbui Kpemini Gawu V, a representative of the board of
governors expressed how proud he was to have brothers
and sisters in the diaspora who have been thoughtful
to provide them with the facility as an addition to the
achievements the school has gained in recent times. He
is pleased that the handing over of the Alumni Centre is
happening at a time when Francisca and her colleagues
shone during the NSMQ competition in 2021. And with
this Alumni Centre, the world would be surprised much
more than they already are.
The National President, Mr. Kojo Mattah, motivated
the students by asserting that he became a Chartered
Accountant before his fingers touched a computer, not
because he didn’t want to but because he didn’t get the
chance to. So, at the then Barclays bank, he grabbed
the opportunity to learn all that there was to know about
spreadsheets before leaving. He encouraged the
students to seize the opportunity created for them at the
Alumni Centre to excel more and more.
Mr. Mattah asked the students to sacrifice and stay in the
Alumni Centre if need be to learn everything they need
to know about computers. Also, the computers provided
now may be out of date three years to come and so are
the things they know today to be out of date in about
two years. Therefore, they must continue to upgrade
themselves. He stressed that technology is changing at
a very fast pace that you have to be running to be at the
same place so if you are standing still, then you are doing
harm to yourself.
He also urged all students to be vigilant and use the
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computers well and be protective of the tools in there for
the next batch of students to also have access to.
On behalf of the NEC team, he thanked the North America
Alumni for the marvelous work done. He appealed to all
present to keep the momentum of being good resources
to their alma mater but not to be tired of supporting their
school as past students.
 KETASCO celebrates SRC Week
By Gabriel Ngmlotey (SRC President)
T
he Students’ Representative Council Week
Celebration of Keta Senior High Technical School
which began on 13th June and ended on 18th
June, 2022 revealed loads of talents of the students.
The weeklong programme which was under the theme
“Transforming the environment through education
and sanitation” featured several activities.
Quiz Competition
Ketasco, Anseco, Spaco and Zico competed
in Science and Maths Quiz. At the end of the contest,
KETASCO came 1st with 61 points, Anseco 2nd with 60
points, Zico 3rd and Spaco 4th.
Talk
Several resource persons spoke on various topics.
Notable among them were the talks by Madam Dora
Kumas, a staff of the Keta Municipal Health Directorate
who spoke on “Regenerative Health” and Mr. Seth Afrifa,
a personnel of the National Investigation Bureau (NIB)
who educated the students on the need to exhibit good
behaviour in society.
Tree Planting
Students used the occasion to plant trees.
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Dance and Drama
The School Cultural Troupe and the Drama Troupe put
up splendid performances during the week celebration.
These performances received great applause and
standing ovations from the audience.
Face of Dzolali
The pageant show dubbed “The Face of Dzolali” saw
contestants from different ethnic background displayed
their rich cultural heritage. Miss Elizabeth Kekeli Ogbonna,
was crowned “The Face of Dzolali.” The first runner up
was Sam-Gbemu Val and Miss Priscilla Osabutey was
adjudged the second runner up.
The SRC week celebration was brought to an end on
Sunday with a thanksgiving service during which students
were admonished to study hard, develop their God given
talents and to eschew all indiscipline tendencies in order
to fit into the job market as well as be very efficient in
whatever they do.
Dzo Lali: Now or Never
 PREPARATION FOR RETIREMENT
by Bridget Katsriku

Introduction
This subject, even though important, is not often taken
seriously by majority of us until it is too late in our working
lives. Through personal experience and a near missed
opportunity, coupled with experiences of others, I
have become obsessed with the issue of planning for
retirement. It is therefore, my desire to raise awareness
amongst the youth and those who are working, that
planning for retirement is imperative.

For this reason, I want to use this platform to introduce

the subject to invoke sentiments amongst the readers
towards the issue; and get them interested in taking the
necessary steps in securing their future wellbeing.

Planning or preparing for retirement must begin as soon

as one begins to earn a salary or any other income, mainly
through work. To discuss retirement, one needs to look at
what one is retiring from - Work.

What is work and why do you have

to work?
Simple definitions of work:
• an activity in which one exerts strength or faculties to Therefore, working for a living is very important and
do or perform something;
• activity that a person engages in regularly to earn a
livelihood;
• a specific task, duty, function, or assignment often off the job, without the hope of satisfying his/her needs
resulting in a reward.
Work provides a sure means of achieving independence,
sense of purpose, self-esteem, and self-direction, and
gives a sense of belonging and identity, i.e. Police man,
teacher, nurse etc.
Work keeps you busy and you derive maximum benefits
from it by devoting long hours and long years to working.
By working you are able to take care of your basic needs
(food, shelter, clothing, etc.) ST. PAUL’S verdict on work
found in 2 Thessalonians 3: 6-10 “ In the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and
sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle ……
We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we
eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary,
we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we
would not be a burden to any of you…….. 9 For even
when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one
who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”
biblical.
Therefore, anything that will remove a committed worker
may be unacceptable and resisted. The worker will have
negative feelings towards such a situation, and retirement
is noted as one of such situations, if it is not planned for.
What is retirement and why must
we plan for retirement?
Retirement, therefore, is a condition that brings about
disengagement of workers from their jobs. As stated by
Amadi (1991), it involves leaving one’s regular routine or
habitual career, position, business, or active life.
Simply put it is a period of life when one compulsorily or
permanently leave the workforce after a lifetime of hard
work; the withdrawal from your occupation, or services or
from active working life
Retirement has profound implications for changes in an
individual’s social, psychological and economic status, in
his inter-personal relationships, and in his self-perception
and morale.

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Some retirees face crisis like shock, emotional and
psychological trauma which make life difficult.
What are some of the changes one may experience in
Retirement?
• Retirement often comes with a reduced income, with
your expenditure remaining constant or even partying most of the time, buying expensive clothes, living
increasing;
• Old age infirmities which demand high medical present needs cannot be denied, it does make sense to
bills; Therefore, your retirement ACCOUNT must take care of your future as well. Ideally, one must strive
be large enough to cover you and your family’s
medical expenditure, to avoid a financial crunch in
the later years of life;
• Change in social status, which may affect your
emotional and mental health.
For these and other reasons, one must prepare for
retirement. Whether one is in the formal sector or informal
sector, one should know that one day, one would have to
lay down one’s tools and go home.
Retirement planning is, therefore, working towards
avoiding or managing the changes that may manifest
in your retirement. Not many people get pensions or
gratuities post retirement and even for those who do
receive them; the amount is generally not big enough to
cover all of their expenses.
By planning and building a sizeable retirement account,
you can ensure that your family’s standard of living is not
compromised post retirement.
What is the Age of retirement in
Ghana?
In Ghana there are two types of retirement for those who
work in the formal sector-
1. Voluntary Retirement (55years) which can be due on
health grounds or circumstances beyond control;
2. Compulsory Retirement (60years)
3. For those running their own businesses, there is no
compulsory retirement age. Such people choose to
retire at their own time either due to old age or they
are incapable of doing their job.
The Best Approach to Retirement
Planning.
1. Start early
It is important to understand why many fail at retirement
planning. One big reason is, they start late.
At times, individuals are unable to set aside the requisite
amount of money needed for their retirement. They can
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contribute only a part of it, not all. As a result, they end up
postponing their plans.
2. Start saving according to your means.
Best approach is to start off with the little you have and
build on it as you go along. Do not wait because you are
overwhelmed with dealing with your present lifestyle i.e.
above your means etc. While the importance of satisfying
to strike a balance between the two. You can decide to
cut down on avoidable expenses. The ideal way is, to
earmark a portion of your earnings towards retirement.
This part of your earnings should be treated as sacred
and should not be disturbed unless it is very urgent.
Saving and investing solely towards retirement keep you
afloat in your 60s, 70s and 80s. Try and put a little away at
your own appointed time towards retirement.
3: Determine your Needs in Retirement
How do you want you and your family to live after your
retirement and how do you hope to meet your expenses
and continue with the same lifestyle.
List the basic things that you need to make you and your
family comfortable.
• Accommodation (do you want to continue to be in
a rented house or you want to build your own however
small),
• medical needs,
• entertainment, traveling,
• children’s school/tuition fees,
• social responsibilities to your parents, community
and the extended family and friends, and so on.
This exercise will give you a sense of where the money will
come from on your retirement to meet all these demands.
But there are other things you can do to bring you money
to supplement your savings.
Apart from planning for your financial independence,
through savings and investment, it is imperative to look
at other areas that may give you some supplementary
income. Some of these areas are:
• Start a business? i.e. open a store, set up a hair-
dressing salon. The women especially take up
vocations like sewing, bead making or hat making
etc.
• Some would enter agriculture,
• Take up a part time job, A consultancy?
Whatever you wish to do in your retirement you need
to sustain your daily expenses with a financial back
up. In short, a retirement plan will let you to develop a
comprehensive understanding of your life goals and also
define the path or the means to achieve them in your
retirement.
Government Retirement Plan for
those working in the formal sector.
Those working in the government or formal sectors have
some mandatory financial retirement schemes, in the
form of SSNIT Pension scheme etc.
In addition, there are the Tier 2 Pension Plan. This is a plan
that commits the employee to make regular contributions
of 5% of monthly salary to a pool of money that is set
aside and managed privately in order to fund lump sum
payments made to eligible employees when they retire.
Tier 3 pension schemes is a voluntary monthly contribution
by the employee of about 16% of salary. These are meant
to augment the SSNIT Pension. Some work places have
additional schemes such as gratuities, which is also
contributory by the employee.
Those working in the informal sector also have the
opportunity to join the Government SSNIT Scheme and
also save and invest in financial schemes that would
cushion them when they eventually stop working.
However, it must be understood that SSNIT Pension
funds and other pension incomes cannot help solve all
the problems faced in retirement.
It is therefore, imperative that when preparing for
retirement, you see the need to make additional individual
/ collective financial preparation to assure yourselves of
a happy and productive life in retirement.This is where
your lessons in financial management come in handy. A
prudent Financial management will enable you to manage
your income prudently and to live within your means, to
make regular savings and make sure you invest your
savings in Treasury Bills, Bonds, Mutual Funds, Insurance,
(health, children’s school) that will give you returns in your
retirement to supplement your pension.
Apart from financial sustainability there are social and
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psychological needs to deal with. Here are some of the
things you can do to manage your psychological state
of mind (physical, emotional, mental spiritual).
• Get back to your home-town and relax?
• Take up some social cause, like community work?
• Spend time with your family, especially your
grandchildren,
• Give your time to the church, for your spiritual
development. Join religious groups or fraternities to
develop your spirituality.
• Get closer to friends and relatives.
• Exercise More:
I am sure you know what exercising does to you, so I
will not go into its details. Suffice it to say that exercising
your body is one sure way to avoid ill health and live
long. Walking regularly is advised. Perhaps, during your
working life, you didn’t have the time to exercise on
regular basis, now you do. You can either find classes or
try doing your own workout program at home. Either way,
getting into an exercise routine early in your retirement is
highly recommended.
• Be a Mentor
Want to impart your knowledge and wisdom to others?
You may identify some young people in your community
or church that you want to mentor.
• Babysit your grandkids,if you have the strength .
Conclusion
The important thing to remember is that it’s common for
people, within the first few days and weeks of retirement,
to feel lost. When you’ve been working for decades and
then suddenly stop that routine, it can be traumatic,
especially when you are not well prepared.
But the great thing about retirement is you can finally do
all those things you’ve wanted to do that you didn’t have
time for previously.
Saving for your future retirement is not just a benefit to you
and your family. It means that you will not be a burden on
society or your adult children, for your sustenance.
 Never trust a cat and its owner
By Johnson Ametorwo
1977 YEAR GROUP

W
hen Joseph went As Joseph picked the keys
on retirement after and made his way back to
35 years of work in the porch, the cat took off
the Public Service, one of with the last of the two large
the things he took to doing tilapias, having eaten enough
was going to the market to of the first one. Joseph rushed
buy foodstuff and cooking by to salvage the situation but
himself. He had enough time the cat was faster. The black
now to do so, and it was also a spotted cat jumped onto the
form of exercise to keep him in wall and vanished into the next
good shape. house.

His preferred market day was However, Joseph recognized it

Saturday. Early morning of most
Saturdays, he will proceed
to the Mallam Attah Market in
Accra to buy some fresh tilapia
brought by market women
from Weija. He will also buy
enough stocks of vegetables,
cooking oil for his new found
hobby or rather, a hobby he
was returning to, after many
years of virtually having no time for himself.
So on this particular Saturday, he got himself two large
pieces of tilapia for a good price and came home looking
ahead to preparing for himself, a delicious meal.
When he got home, his wife Araba, a nurse, had gone
to work and as was the practice, had left the keys under
some discarded spare parts in the open garage of their
house.
He placed his purchases he had made on the wall of the
porch of their house and went to look for the keys.
Unknown to him, a black spotted cat perched on the wall
of their house was looking out for what he had brought
home from the market that day. Quickly, the cat jumped
onto the porch and settled on the pack of food items he
had bought. It tore quickly the pack and reached out for
the pieces of tilapia. It ate them voraciously as if it had
been famished for days, whilst keeping close eyes on the
return of the owner of the pack.
in those split seconds. It was
the cat of his friend, Nathaniel
who lived two houses from his
house. He was also a retiree
and he used to invite him to
share the meals he cooked
over bottles of beer.
Joseph was annoyed beyond
description. He could not
believe his eyes. All the efforts he had made to go to
the Mallam Attah Market that morning had ended in a
disaster. His plan for meal of grilled tilapia with banku was
gone like a dream.
He told himself he will go and report the theft to Nathaniel
but decided he will rather wait for Araba to return from
work.
So come that evening, Joseph, together with Araba went
to see Nathaniel and his wife, Yaba in their house.
After the initial greetings, Joseph broke the news to
Nathaniel, who was surprised that his cat was being
accused of that mischief. “Joseph, I am sorry for what
happened but you got it all wrong. It could not have been
my cat. My cat is always in the premises with us. It never
goes out. You know there are a lot of spotted cats in the
vicinity”
“Nathaniel is that so, I know your cat very well. It is the one
that descended on my tilapia this morning. I can swear

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to anything but if you insist that it is not your cat, then it
is okay”
As they spoke, the black spotted cat with its claws pulled
open the trap door to the sitting room, entered and
crawled onto the laps of Nathaniel. Something moved
within Joseph. His stomach cringed. He could not be
mistaken. It was this cat that ate his tilapia.
Nathaniel ruffled its smooth furs as it seemed to enjoy the
caress by turning round for other parts of its body to be
brushed. It was quite a beautiful round cat and it looked
very well fed.
Joseph hoped at that moment that it will also take a look
at him to read the reprimand or anger in his eyes. Then
the cat after quite a pretense of not taking note of him
turned its piercing eyes in his direction, and their eyes
locked. Joseph’s eyes burned with more anger. He
hoped the cat had sensed the anger in his eyes, but rather
it squinted and opened its eyes, to convey the insulting
message that it was untouchable in the protective hands
of its owner, for whatever wrong he had done.
“Look at it! This is my cat. I have trained it and I feed it
properly. It never leaves my house.”
“I see” Joseph hid his anger as best as he could.
Indeed, there were a lot of cats in the area who crawled
over the walls of the houses in the neighborhood, looking
for food items left outside or left for the dogs in some of
these houses.
“I am sorry Joseph, you are my friend, but next time,
excuse me to say, do not be that careless”
“Well, it is okay, this is not something that should spoil our
friendship. I just came to tell you what I believe your cat
has done, but if it is not your cat then it is okay. I am even
sorry for wrongly accusing your cat.
Disappointed as Joseph was, he left with Araba.
Then an idea occurred to him. He must take his revenge
on these cats that prowled the houses in the vicinity. He
and Araba had been generous to them. They fed them
with leftover food or remnants of fishes they had prepared.
If that was not enough and these cats could reciprocate
their kind gesture in this manner, he would also go for
them. After all, he used to eat cat meat when he was a
young man. It was a delicacy he had abandoned for only
one reason - that the cats have become like pets to him
and he could not see himself killing and eating his pets.
But for what had happened, he would go back to his
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practice of his youthful days.
So, he got a carpenter to prepare him a nice wooden
box trap with a small opening at the top. One evening, he
placed the trap on the wall of his house. Within minutes, a
large cat crawled into the trap. It took the food but before
it could even get out, the door of the trap, closed on him.
But the cat was not bothered. For it, what mattered was
the food. After, it just dropped to sleep as Joseph could
observe from the small opening of the trap. He made
sure it was fast asleep. Then he picked it up, dropped it
into a jute sack and then into a bucket of water and left it
for the following morning.
Araba who hated the preparation of cat meal, had
even gone to work. Joseph went and invited his friend.
Together, they cooked it and gave it a nice flavour, by
dropping into the soup, some herbs and lemon leaves to
give it the best of aroma. Then they prepared some gari
in hot water to go with the cat soup.
Joseph had earlier bought some bottles of beer and
he made sure they had sufficiently chilled it in the deep
freezer. He brought them out and having had enough of
the drinks, they settled on the food. Indeed, so nice was
their prepared food that they could not help licking their
palms and fingers.
Thus, this new found hobby of killing and eating errant
cats in the vicinity continued over months. Surprisingly,
not once did anyone complain of their missing cat or cats.
One evening, Joseph set the trap again but even before
a cat will crawl into the trap, there was general “lights off”
in the area. But not long after, Joseph realized a cat had
crawled into the trap. He waited as usual for a while and
with the help of a torch light, went for the cat and dropped
it into the sack and dipped into a bucket of water.
The next morning, he went to call his friend Nathaniel. As
they opened the jute bag and pulled out the cat, his friend
stepped backward, shocked at what he was seeing.
“Joseph, you have killed my cat”, he yelled.
“Your cat? I know your cat. This cannot be your cat?”
“Joseph look. It is my cat, Joseph you have killed my cat.
Why did you do this to me?”
“My brother, I know your cat. I didn’t know it was your cat
that had got into the trap. If you will remember, yesterday,
there was general “lights off” in the area. I couldn’t have
seen what cat was entering the trap. I am sorry my friend.
I did not mean to kill your cat”
Nathaniel nearly collapsed over his friend. Joseph held
him and led him into one of his sofas in his sitting room.
Nathaniel closed his eyes while breathing heavily. He re-
opened his eyes after more than ten minutes.
“No, Joseph, I cannot be part of this, let me go home”
“Are you okay? let me take you home if you don’t want to
be part of this?”
“Don’t worry. I am okay now. I can go home by myself”.
Joseph saw him off by the gate of his house and returned
to his house. He did not know what to do. He decided he
could not let the cat go to waste. He prepared it and ate
alone over a bottle of beer.
When Araba came back home from work, he told her
what had happened. His wife advised that they should
go and apologize to his friend and Yaba.
When they got there, Yaba was in the sitting room but
Nathaniel was not there. They asked of him. Yaba
responded that he was not well and that he was lying
in bed; his blood pressure had shot up. They asked
if Nathaniel had told her what happened and she
responded in the affirmative.
For a moment, there was dead silence in the room.
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“Can you call him for us? We have come to apologize for
what happened”
“No, not today. Allow him to take a rest, he is completely
devastated”
“We are sorry for what happened; we could buy him a
replacement?”
“No, that it is not the issue. He loved this particular cat
so well”
“I didn’t mean to kill your cat. You know the last time we
came here, you said your cat never stepped out. So I
could not have imagined that it was your cat that entered
my trap yesterday. Accept our apologies”
After a long silence of no response, Joseph and Araba
asked permission to leave.
As they stepped out, Araba remarked, “In life, people
do not realize the pain they cause others, until they find
themselves in similar situations. I remember when we
came to this house to complain about the harm their
cat had caused to you, he was dismissive of your claim.
Now, he cannot take the pain the carelessness of his cat
has caused him.
 On The Wings Of The Mighty
Eagle, We Fly!
70th Anniversary Launch Poem
Written by Dzn David T.K. Lawson, ‘92

Dzo lali - Now or never!

On the wings of a mighty eagle
Flying higher and higher
From strength to strength
Roping in glories and laurels
Resting not on thine oars
Great and mighty achievements
Thou have achieved and even more
Though so far so good
Yet excellence thy zeal yearns to reach
As thou skyrocket beyond the blue skies
Soaring highest heights
To remain the best
What a brave marvelous bird
Thou art!

A humbled beginner
A cradle and citadel Both in power and might, globally
Not only for literary As the great and mighty eagle leads the way
But sport, culture, and other disciplines
Thou set off to conquer the world A highly respected educational institution
Producing great men and women of valour Known not only in Ghana
Excelling in diverse fields of endeavour But across the world
Putting smiles on the faces of many Full of fame and praiseworthy
As they do exploits gallantly So is thy history
Yet never resting on thine oars
Truly of late Battling with daunting challenges
Thy dazzling eaglets flying Forging ahead bravely
Shoulder to shoulder in the sky
With their competitors Aging at 70, a crossroad
Like lions and cheetahs Thou have reached
Zooming above them Not an easy journey indeed
They flew back with medals As one looks back
Taking the nation and the world by storm Retrospection and prospect
What a historic feat and moment! At a junction of time
At a crossroad
The quest for more glories and laurels A crucial and decisive moment has come
To make the world A moment to move
A better place for all continues
Lifting thy banner Forward or backward
Nobler and higher A moment to retreat and surrender

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Or advance The powerful eagle screams out
A moment to put Calling out her great children
Shoulders to the wheel of progress Home and abroad and friends as well
Or quit and shift blame To unitedly resolve
A moment to put all hands on deck As one great powerful front to solve challenges
Or work in isolation Confronting the Great Alma Mater
In the face of teeming students’ population
With the gracious Lord on thy side
Surely thy avowed aims Notably
Will thou achieve The Assembly Hall
As thy children opt for the positive Retooling of Science Lab
As thy prospects look brightest Dining Hall Extension
Furniture forthe newly constructed Girl’s dorms
With opportunities at stake More washrooms
Never let challenges And among others
Clip and peg down
The wings of the mighty eagle As it took Rome
To render it unable to soar Not a day to build
As it’s not earthly bound Little by little
But heavenly, to maintain Year in year out
Her majestical strides in By dint of hard-work and perseverance
Reputation, prowess and nobility at all cost Being a well-recognized force
Surely, surely our goals we’ll reach
As forefathers and others toiled sacrificially hard To make our Alma Mater remain great and strongest
Building the Great Alma Mater As a great Lighthouse, lighting up the world
Making us proud partakers and enjoyers of their legacy
So it dawns on us Long live KETASCO!
To do our responsible part honourably Long live Ghana!
Toiling hardest Long live Africa!
To make our ageless future leaders Long live Dzo lali!
To achieve highest laurels possibly Dzo lali- Now or never!
To make us wondrous and happiest So, help us God!

Hovering and flying around the globe Dzo lali- Now or never!

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 E-NEWSLETTER OF KETASCO

The
KETASCO
PAST STUDENTS ASSOCIATION

Dzolalian 7th Edition - August 2022

Lokpodzi nyanyuiwo nekaka

EDITORIAL BOARD

EDITOR IN CHIEF
Kojo Mattah

EDITOR
Walter Djokoto

NEWS GATHERING
Michael Wellington Fafa Korley

CREATIVE DIRECTOR/DESIGN
David Roy Quashie

CIRCULATION
IT Committee

EMAIL ADDRESS
thedzolalian2020@gmail.com

Editor’s Note
We invite authentic contributions from
all members via our email address:
thedzolalian2020@gmail.com.
We also invite individuals with skills that
can enhance this mouth piece.

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