Executive Director of Ideal College honoured.

Accra, May 7, GNA-The Global Centre for Transformational Leadership (GCTL) has conferred an Honorary Doctor of Letters on the Executive Director of Ideal College, Mr Joseph Kobina Essibu, for his impressive leadership strides and significant contribution to the country's educational sector.

He shared the platform of honour with five others who had also contributed immensely in their various fields of work at a ceremony in Accra.

The other award winners are; Ms Gifty Dansoa Anti, of GTV (Media), Mr Wisdom Kpehor, of Good Shepherd School (Education), Mrs Akua Sarpong Ayisa, of Unique Floral (Hospitality) Mr Gabriel Canaco, Lecturer GIMPA (ICT), and Mrs Patience Abolo Agbaza, Nigerian High Commission (Women Activism).

Mr. Joseph Kobina Essibu, CEO of Ideal College, driven by the passion to see every student succeed, he began a model school draped with a corporate philosophy that every student has a seed of genius which requires only a conducive environment and guidance to make it flourish.

He launched Ideal College onto the Ghanaian educational landscape to offer an alternative to the mainstream education.

From a humble beginning in 2002 with 10 students and 3 teachers, Ideal College started an adventure of changing the fortunes of students. The school began as a remedial school due to the inefficiencies in the secondary school system that led to the mass failure of students at the SSSCE.

Influenced by the profession of his father who was a teacher and a passion for teaching and concerned with the massive rate of failures recorded in the WASSCE exams, Joseph took it upon himself to help students overcome their frustrations and challenges in writing the exams.

With an ultimate vision for the school to become a world-class institution recognised for the delivery of result-oriented educational services to the satisfaction of clients, he embarked on the mission of encouraging and giving hope to students to pursue their dreams and secure their future through quality education

“The reason for our track record is obvious: we bring together a combined team of educational experts to offer an unparalleled choice and consistently high standards of teaching and student care. Working with experienced instructors in interactive classes will undoubtedly make students gain rapid progress in all aspects of the courses. Practically, everything one needs to succeed is guaranteed.” He told the GNA in Accra.

Currently, Ideal College has a student population of about two thousand spread in nine campuses (Legon, Tema, Takoradi, Kumasi, Sunyani, Techiman, Lapaz, Kasoa, Odorkor) and is a registered private educational institution under Ghana Education Service.

Ideal College has become a household name in Ghana and beyond because of our system of dealing with the exigencies of contemporary times.

The school has ultra-modern facilities coupled with highly sophisticated and well furnished library, computer lab, science lab among others.

Ideal College has been instrumental in the placement of students into leading public and private universities as well as other tertiary institutions in Ghana and abroad.

“Many have had the chance to re-sit their exams and passed as a result of our effective teaching, learning and monitoring system. Many have also gone through our tutelage to secure admission into universities abroad through our international programmes,” he said.

Ideal college's invaluable contribution to education in Ghana has attracted the attention of corporate players in Ghana. In 2009 and 2010, the school swept the TNG Corporate Excellence Awards as the Best Remedial School in Ghana for the 2nd time running based on research conducted with WAEC and placement of our students into tertiary institutions.

It was also adjudged the Fastest Growing Senior High School in West Africa by West African International Governance and Leadership Awards (2012) and also received an award of Recognition by the Asantehene, Otumfour Osei Tutu, for contributing to education in Ghana in 2011.

Apart from rekindling of the academic dreams of students who need to get good passes in their subject, the school runs other programme including Senior High School (SHS) subjects, vacation classes, international programmes and university entrance exams

According to the Executive Director, Ideal College is committed to enhancing the lots of students through the quality impact we make on their educational pursuits. This, he believes will go a long way to improve the educational standards of the country.

Born on 3rd January, 1970, in Senya Bereku in the Central region, he had his elementary education in Cape Coast, obtaining his General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary levels at Ghana National College and GCE Advance Levels at St Augustine's College between 1990 and 1992.

He proceeded to the University of Ghana where he was awarded a BSc in Agricultural Science in 1999 and later an MPhil in Soil Science at the same university.

Realising the need to assist students pass their exams, Joseph thought out a concept of teaching students to re-write their exams.

It started on University of Ghana campus dining halls in 2002 while he was still a student, then to 2 classrooms at Mepeasem in Accra and later into a five storey building school at Legon opposite Institute Professional Studies in 2005.

Beginning with remedial education, the school added the Ideal Senior High School with a view to solving the problems at the mainstream level.

His vision of raising purposeful and transformational human resource for the nation and beyond has culminated into a project of establishing a University. The Proposed Ideal University has been granted Authorisation by the National Accreditation Board and mobilisation of resources is earnestly in progress.

It will offer programmes in Business, Law, Computer Science and later Engineering among other disciplines.

He hopes to also establish Primary schools in all the regions to lay a solid foundation for the future leaders of the country in addition to a Publishing house being established to help in printing and publishing cutting edge materials for students and for general reading.

Joseph is happily married to Josephine with whom he is blessed with four children: Einstein, Winston, Lois and Paulina.

GNA