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Golden Sunbeam International School Receives Gold Award at Paris

 

 

---as Adentan Assembly Urges parents to play role in Education
By Felix Engsalige Nyaaba


The Golden Sunbeam International School, a private basic and second cycle school in the Adentan Municipality, has won a prestigious World Quality Commitment Award in the Gold Category. The award acknowledges a strong commitment to good leadership, commitment to quality education, Innovation and technology as well as excellence. The World Quality Commitment Award Ceremony in Paris is part of the annual program of Business Initiative Directions (BID) conventions which objectives are to recognise the prestige of outstanding companies, organisations, institutions and entrepreneurs.


The annual award ceremony took place at the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile of Frances where Golden Sunbeam was adjudged the best in the world for the gold category in the 2015 event after a global survey, selection and voting in rigors procedures. Companies from all over the world vote for winners.


The WQC event was attended by organizational leaders from over 179 countries and of diverse sectors from around the world where were presented with three categories, including,Gold Platinum  and Diamond.

 

Criteria used by the World Quality Commitment for awarding includes, Excellence in Leadership and Business Management,  Quality and Overall Excellence, Business and Brand Name Prestige, Technology, Innovation and Growth.

 

At a ceremony to present the Award to the Adentan Municipal Assembly, Mr Emmanuel Ohene Opare Jr, President  of Golden Sunbeam International School said, information obtained about companies and institutions that received awards by BID were from its external monitoring officers, voting by the BID Council, and BID’s online survey, in compliance with the criteria.

 

He said, Golden Sunbeam did not know of the award, because it was never contacted in any form leading to the global gold award which, he described as "surprising but refreshing award".


A citation accompanied the award signed by Chief Executive of WQC/BID,Mr Jose E Prieto, said "the award recipients are icons of commitment to leadership, technology and innovation making them models for others in the educational sector"


It further reads, "In recognition of outstanding commitment to Quality and Excellence, which merits the International Gold Star for Quality in the realm of Leadership, Innovation, Customer Satisfaction, and Technology as Established in the QC 100 TQM model.


Golden Sunbeam International Schools received the World Quality Commitment in the Gold Category."


The World Quality Commitment added it recognised and acknowledged the strong commitment of Golden Sunbeam International School to Quality, Leadership, Technology, Excellence and Innovation.


This, Mr. Ohene Opare Jr, noted was motivating because Golden Sunbeam International Schools was the only pre-tertiary school across the entire African continent spot- lighted for the prestigious award after a rigorous screening and voting process from BID, the hosting World Quality Body.


He explained that after presenting the award, WQC however challenged Golden Sunbeam to remain committed to making quality education a core focus and continuous improvement, while maintaining leadership in its sector and community.


"While at the ceremony, I was still surprised, because I was expecting to see most of the big, big international schools in Ghana, but  I did not see or hear their names mentioned, just one school from South Africa and at the end Golden Sunbeam was adjudged the best in the world in the gold category.


It was really a shocking experience, but I must say we deserve it because of what we do at Golden Sunbeam," Mr Opare Jr told THE ENQUIRER.


"We are further encouraged by the very positive evaluation and level of trust shown by such a well known and respected organization. The Award confirms Golden Sunbeam's leadership in the quality education, innovation, technology, excellence leadership and encourage us to continue develop effective technology and to provide quality education to all," said Ohene Opare Jr.


Receiving the symbolic award, the Municipal Chief Executive for Adentan, Mr Benjamin Baroson Angenu  congratulated management and pupils of Golden Sunbeam for the award as the best in Africa and the world, stating, "it signified the commitment and leadership  that the School placed on education, especially in the area of innovation and technology."


He said Golden Sunbeam had uplifted the image of Adentan Municipality and Ghana as  a whole and expressed the hope that the school would continue to work hard to  offer  more quality education, remain innovative and  technological oriented.


"To me, this award implies a continuous effort that the school needs to invest into ensuring the standard which they have maintained possible’’ he said.


He however  encouraged other schools within the municipality to emulate Golden Sunbeam standard of education, while urging parents  to  also take keen interest in their wards education, stating,  "education should not be left in the hands of government and teachers alone."


The Golden Sunbeam International School was established in 1989 in odorkor and later in a house garage by Mr Emmanuel Ohene Opare Snr and his wife Mrs Monica Ohene Opare, with four pupils in Adentan.


According to the philanthropists couple, the school was initially  made to serve as a charitable kindergarten for the marginalized, especially street children in some communities within Accra.


However, it had developed into an international school with an excellent academic records and currently have over 300-400 students and 79 teaching and non teaching staff. Some of its products in and outside the country are also in  high positions and receiving several awards for distinguishing themselves in society.


Mrs Monica Opare who began the school together with the husband 26 years ago, said she was filled with so much joy and fulfillment seeing her school winning such an enviable and prestigious award in honour of her students, teachers and parents.


She expressed immense gratefulness to WQC and explained that they deserve the award because of the strategies they have put in place in making children learn and present knowledge through many ways.


She  further told THE ENQUIRER that the award was just the beginning since it places them on the world map to ensure what they are doing with education was successful and commended teachers; students and parents for making the school gain such praise and attributed it as a result of collective work.


Mrs Opare emphasized that Information Technology (IT) played a major role in achieving innovation since the school ensures that each child has personal devices they use within the learning environment in everything they do.


"IT is integrated into every course the children do in the classroom and beyond and the use of the Montessori curriculum in the early stages of the children’s life also plays a major role.


“From preschool to sixth grade, they practice the Montessori curriculum by combining children from two age groups and not compartmentalize them into same age  like regular schools. They rather practice living in school like in our natural homes where the family lives as a whole with people of all ages," she said.


She said montessori enables children to interact with each other, help one another and boost their Confidence the availability of 2 graduate teachers to 25 students in a class also gives them more time and attention for the children.