In order for Newmont to recruit and retain experienced senior managers who will live in MKV with their families, a school was deemed necessary. This is due to the remoteness of the Ahafo Plant site and the dearth of quality education available in the area. The education of Newmont managers’ children started as a small-scale home-schooling exercise, which saw a small number of children being tutored in one of the houses in MKV. As this number gradually increased, a purpose-built school was constructed and was formally opened in April 2008 with 27 students; by the end of 2008, this number had grown to 60 students and approximately 11 teachers and assistants.
The school operated successfully for some time. Thereafter, with the support of International School Services (ISS), an American company which helps in the establishment and management of schools, the school achieved accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, USA.
In 2014, Newmont wished to divest itself of the school and considered closing it down because the school was no longer viable to its operations. However, a small group of parents, with children at the school, decided to take it over in order to keep it open. Newmont agreed to continue funding the school on condition that, after a three-year period, the school would be financially independent and Newmont would withdraw all monetary support.
To this end, the school was re-established in January 2015 as a non-Newmont school, operating with a three-term year, new staff, curricular, leadership and management. The aim was to become financially independent within three years and this was to be done by opening up to the local community, under the oversight of a group of parents. A Head of School and a Business Manager were recruited to take on the project and to work with the parents in order to take the school forward as an independent entity. A comprehensive business plan was drawn up and presented to Newmont. Marketing materials were also prepared in order to inform the community about the ‘new’ school.
However, within six months of being re-established, Newmont rescinded its decision and decided to re-own the school once again solely for the children of its senior managers who live in MKV, with an independent Board. The school and its administration were to run independently from Newmont, but with funding provided by the company. Newmont confirmed the decision to re-own the school through a Memorandum of Understanding which was agreed and signed on 5th May 2017. The school was now exclusively dependent upon Newmont’s recruitment policies for its students. This strategic decision had a significant impact on numbers, and student numbers decreased to less than 20 by the end of the 2019-2020 school year.
The Board explored ways to increase student numbers. Nursery was added in January 2020. In August 2020, classes were offered online, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of schools. The Board made the decision to extend the online classes to the children of all Newmont employees, not only those of the Senior Managers.
The online classes were successful so the Board decided to continue to offer the school to the children of all Newmont employees, on a selection basis. In February 2021, the school opened up onsite with an initial enrollment of fifty students. In the next year, more families moved into MKV, and by the end of the 2022-2023 academic year, student numbers had grown steadily to 86. Currently, all students are Ghanaian.
In line with current government policy, expatriate teachers have been replaced with national teachers, so except for the Principal, all staff are Ghanaian.
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