Popular Ghanaian actress and producer, Yvonne Nelson, has candidly shared her unpleasant experience during her time at Aggrey Memorial Secondary School (SSS).
Speaking in an interview on The Career Trail program aired on Joy Learning TV and Joy News, Yvonne revealed that attending the school was not her personal choice, and her time there was far from fulfilling.
According to the actress, her enrollment at Aggrey Memorial was influenced by her stepfather, who was the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Chairman at the time. “My step-dad was the PTA Chair. So it was like when you are done with JSS, you are definitely going to Aggrey Memorial,” she said. “I didn’t have any choice. I just knew I would go there anyway, and it was bad; I don’t have great memories.”
One of her primary frustrations stemmed from being forced to study Accounting, a subject she had no interest in. “I was coerced, pushed, and forced to do Accounting. I wasn’t interested in all the calculations… So then, I didn’t have any interest in studying,” Yvonne noted.
Adding to her distress was the strict disciplinary system in the school. She recounted how the frequent use of corporal punishment, especially caning by teachers, created an atmosphere of fear. “There were days you were afraid to go to class because one teacher is going to beat everybody… That wasn’t helping,” she disclosed.
This fear and disinterest led to her skipping classes and even opting out of writing some subjects during her Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE). “At a point when we were writing our SSCE, I did not go in when we were writing Costing and Accounting… I cannot balance the sheet,” she said.
Yvonne contrasted this experience with the supportive coaching she received while preparing for the NOVDEC exams, crediting her success to a tutor who used a more encouraging and respectful approach. “He took me through gently. I wasn’t afraid anymore… and I realized that it was something I could do,” she said.
Beyond academics and discipline, Yvonne also criticized the quality of food and hygiene at Aggrey Memorial SHS. “The food was terrible… You wouldn’t want your child to eat that kind of food,” she said, adding that poor hygiene further worsened her experience.
Yvonne concluded with a call for educational reforms, emphasizing the need for open conversations about conditions in Ghanaian schools. “If we don’t talk about it, it will continue being the same… Aggrey was a nightmare,” she asserted.
Her revelations have sparked fresh discussions around student welfare, discipline methods, and curriculum choices in Ghana’s education system.
