In order for Newmont to recruit and retain experienced senior managers who 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 bungalows on 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 grew to be successful enough to achieve 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 typical three-term year, new staff, curriculum, leadership. 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 Principal 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 by the parents and presented to Newmont. Meanwhile, marketing materials were prepared in order to inform the community about the ‘new’ school. The Business Manager researched the fee structures of similar schools in Ghana. in order to set the fees that would be needed to cover the costs of the school, in the hope that after three years, the school could become financially independent.
However, within six months of being re-established, Newmont rescinded its decision and decided to re-own the school, solely for the children of its senior managers who live in MKV, with an independent Board.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 the 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. Understandably, this strategic decision had a significant impact on numbers, as the school was now exclusively dependent upon Newmont’s recruitment policies for its students. The Board began exploring strategies to increase student numbers and investigated ways in which enrolment at the school could be increased within the Newmont community.
In May 2019, the school was accepted for membership of the Council of International Schools (CIS). The Nursery was added in January 2020 and went online when classes went online. In March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ISA started offering virtual classes which continued into the following school year. In August 2020, the Board decided to open up the virtual classes to all its employees (to a maximum of 100 students). This offer was well received by the Newmont employees on a selective basis for those living outside MKV.
When schools were allowed to open up onsite, the Board decided to continue to offer the school to the children of all its employees. In February 2021, the school opened onsite with 50 students from Reception to Year 7. A number of national senior managers moved to MKV so their children were guaranteed placed at the school. The number of students grew gradually as more families moved to MKV and by the January 2023, students numbers had grown to 84 students with more than half of the students from MKV. The Nursery moved to House 10 to be closer to the school. At the beginning of the 2022/2023 academic year, the Early Years Centre was created in House 10 to cater for the needs of children in Nursery and Reception. Year 9 was also added.
The school is looking to gain CIS accreditation in the next few years.