Pope John Senior High School and Minor Seminary

Pope John Senior High School and Minor Seminary
Pojoss Insignia
Location
P. O. Box 370 Koforidua, Ghana Eastern Region Koforidua , Ghana , Eastern Region , 23321 Ghana
Information
School type	Government funded, Boys Boarding/ Residential
Motto	Vela Damus (We Set Sail)
Religious affiliation(s)	Christianity
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Patron saint(s)	Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. John
Established	21 January 1958 (21 January 1958)
Founder	Bishop Joseph Oliver Bowers SVD
School board	Board of Governors
School district	New Juabeng North Municipal
GES Category	A
Oversight	Ghana Education Service
Rector	Very Rev. Fr. Ebenezer Amo-Oduro
Headmaster	Rev. Fr. Benjamin Ohene
Chaplain	Rev. Fr. Joel Kwame
Staff	93 teachers
Grades	Forms' (1–3)
Gender	Boys
Age range	14–18
Enrollment	c. 1500
Average class size	50
Language	English
Campus	Effiduase
Houses	7
Colour(s)	Yellow and blue-black
Slogan	Pojoba Daasebre!!
Song	O Great Pojomma Arise and Shine!
Fight song	Sacred Heart of Jesus
Athletics	Track and Field
Mascot	Boat
Nickname	POJOSS
Rival	St. Peter's Senior High School
Publication	POJOMAG
Newspaper	The Gong
Affiliation	Roman Catholic Church, Ghana
Alumni	Pope John Old Boys Association(POJOBA)
Website	popejohnshs.edu.gh

Pope John Senior High School and Minor Seminary (POJOSS) (formerly St. John's Seminary and College) is a Catholic all-boys day-boarding school located in Effiduase, Koforidua, in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Established in 1958 by Bishop Joseph Oliver Bowers of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), the school was originally founded as a seminary for boys aspiring to become priests, primarily for those interested in the Catholic priesthood.

The school offers programs in general arts, general science, business, and visual arts. Its aim is to prepare students to sit for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), a prerequisite for admission into tertiary institutions in Ghana. The student body comprises approximately 2,100 boys, who are colloquially referred to as "Pojomma", while alumni are known as "Pojoba", with the response "Daasebre" serving as a cultural identifier among them.

On 8 November 1953, Bishop Joseph Oliver Bowers, then Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Accra, visited the New Juaben Traditional Area in the Eastern Region of Ghana on a pastoral mission. During this visit, he held discussions with Nana Frempong Moposo II, the local chief, which facilitated the acquisition of land at Effiduase, Koforidua, for a Roman Catholic Church mission.

In early 1955, Bishop Bowers initiated plans to establish a junior seminary on the acquired land for the Diocese of Accra. Father Anthony Bauer and Father Henk Janseen surveyed the site, and their reports supported the development. Construction began in January 1955, with Fr. Jude SVD, Dr. Balduricus, and Dr. Lucian Orians overseeing the building of a classroom block, a combined residence, and administrative facility. In early 1957, Dr. Damian Brockmann, SVD, constructed the first science block, later replaced by a dormitory known as Elsbend House, named after the first headmaster.

In October 1957, Bishop Bowers appointed Rev. Fr. Alphonse Elsbend as the first Headmaster and Seminary Rector, supported by Rev. John O'Sullivan, Rev. Joseph Skorupka, and Bismark Sosu. The school's chapel was completed in 1958.^[1]

On 21 January 1958, St. John's Seminary and College officially opened with an initial enrollment of 45 students, comprising 14 seminarians and 31 day students across two forms. The teaching staff included three SVD priests appointed by the Bishop and one Ghanaian lay teacher, Mr. Paul Ohene-Boakye, who assisted in the students' academic, moral, and religious education.

In June 1958, electricity was extended to the school at a cost of £45. By this time, the school's enrollment had grown to 113 students, including 23 seminarians and 90 day students.

Pius Kpeglo, the Senior Prefect of the seminary and school, successfully completed his G.C.E. examinations and was awarded a scholarship to study philosophy and theology at the Diocesan Seminary in Regensburg, Germany, departing on 7 August 1961.

From 1958 to 1968, St. John's College operated as a private Catholic institution funded by the Catholic Diocese of Accra and student fees. However, the high cost of maintaining the school led Father Fredrichs, the second Headmaster, with the approval of Bishop Joseph Oliver Bowers, to apply for the school's incorporation into Ghana's Public Education System under the Ministry of Education.

On 1 September 1968, the school was absorbed into the Ghana Education Service as a government-assisted secondary school. Its name was changed to Pope John Secondary School and Junior Seminary to distinguish it from other Catholic schools in Ghana named "St. John." The new name honored Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, while preserving the identity and mission of the original institution.

Following the 2007 Ghana education reform under the administration of President John Kufuor, the school was renamed Pope John Senior High School and Minor Seminary.

The foundation laid by the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) Fathers under the supervision of Bishop Joseph Oliver Bowers has contributed to the development of Pope John Senior High School and Minor Seminary. In July 1992, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Koforidua was established, gaining autonomy from the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Accra. The Most Rev. Dr. Charles G. Palmer-Buckle became the first bishop of the new diocese, which assumed responsibility for managing the school within the Ecclesiastical Province of Accra.

The school has a teaching staff of 92 and a non-teaching staff of 85. It accommodates over 2,000 boarding students, including nearly 100 seminarians. Since its establishment, approximately 8,000 students have graduated, with over 100 alumni ordained as Catholic priests.

Pope John Senior High School and Minor Seminary maintains a very high academic standard and has over the years distinguished itself in the areas^[3] of science, business, and arts. In 2012, the school placed 9th on the WASSCE order of merit (Education in Koforidua) and POJOSS has emerged victorious in many inter-school academic competitions.^[4]

• VALCO Soccer Tournament (1999) (Winner)^[5]
• National Science and Maths Quiz (2001) (Winner)^[6][7]
• VALCO Soccer Tournament (2002) (Winner)^[8]
• Project Citizen National Showcase (2011) (Placed 3rd)^[9]
• Ghana Youth Forum Debate (2012) (Winner)^[10]
• National Independence Debate Championship (2013) (Winner)^[11][12]

• Charles G. Palmer-Buckle^[13] (former chaplain and teacher)

• Archbishop Charles G. Palmer- Buckle, Metropolitan Archbishop of Cape Coast

• Samuel Nuamah Donkor, Former MP for New Juaben North, Minister of Health and Ashanti Regional Minister
• Edward Omane Boamah, Minister of Defence
• Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, MP for Lower Manya Krobo and Deputy Minister of Interior
• Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, MP for Ofoase-Ayirebi constituency and Former Minister of Information
• Paul Apreku Twum Barimah, Politician and Former MP for Dormaa East constituency in the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana
• Kingsley Agyemang, MP for Akim Abuakwa South (Ghana parliament constituency)
• Nana Osei-Adjei, MP for New Juaben North (Ghana parliament constituency)
• Titus Kofi Beyuo, MP for Lambussie Constituency
• Franklin Cudjoe, Founder and President of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education
• Kwame Akuffo Anoff-Ntow, Former Director General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation

• Joseph Boateng Danquah, Former Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) of the Ghana Armed Forces and Member of Council of State
• Major General William Omane Agyekum, Commandant of Military Academy and Training Schools
• Brigadier General Kweku Asamoah Yeboah, Director General of International Peace Support Operations, Ghana Armed Forces

• William Otoo Ellis, former Vice Chancellor of KNUST^[14]

• Maxwell Opoku-Afari, Economist and Former first Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana.

• D-Black, Hip-hop star and entrepreneur
• Ibrahim Mahama (artist), Author and Artist of monumental installations

• Ministry of Education (Ghana)
• List of senior secondary schools in Ghana
• Joseph Oliver Bowers
• List of schools in Ghana

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