Attending schools with higher popularity doesn’t guarantee success – Kobby Kyei

Kobby Kyei, a Ghanaian blogger and humanitarian has urged young people that they shouldn’t be discouraged if they are placed in schools with lower popularity. He emphasized that success is really more on determination than on the name of the school you attend.

During the Carrer Trail show with Irene Adubea Aning, aired on Joy Learning TV and Joy News, he shared his own secondary school journey and how he turned a disadvantage into a success story.

As per Kobby Kyei, after he completed junior high school during the second batch of the computer placement era, he was hopeful of attending top schools like Mfantsipim, Swedru Secondary (Swesco), and Aggrey Memorial.

He shared that “I attended international schools; I was very good academically, so I was confident of getting into a big school. We checked; it was loading, and we were praying. Boom! Nyankumasi Ahenkro Secondary School. That was where I was posted. My family had no idea about this town or the school.”

He described how his father visited him personally at the school before his admission and gave him assurance it was a decent place. When he eventually got to the school, his expectations were shattered.

He shared that “We got to the entrance and I started crying. They didn’t even have an entrance. You know, when you get to a secondary school, the entrance alone gives you hope of glory. But here, nothing. There were only about four buildings. No boys’ dormitory. We were sleeping in classrooms. We bathed outside. If you wanted to poo-poo, you went to the bush. And mind you, most of my colleagues were in Mfantsipim and Aggrey. I kept asking myself, ‘What did I do wrong?‘”

Regardless these challenges, the words of his  father became his motivation. Kobby Kyei revealed that “My dad told me, ‘Stay here and make me proud. I don’t have the financial capacity to lobby for you.’ So I adjusted my mind. I said, the school is within you, not the environment.” He also revealed that this advice changed his mindset.

Today, Kobby Kyei says people normally assume he attended a prestigious school because of his success, but he alsways uses his story to caution against that mindset. He emphasized that “Some people went to top schools like Mfantsipim and Adisadel, but today their stories are nothing to write about. Attending an A-class school doesn’t automatically make you successful. It’s your determination, your studies, and your vision that matter.”

Kobby Kyei also took the opportunity to encourage parents by saying “Sometimes you don’t have the financial means to push your children into the big schools. But support them spiritually, emotionally, and financially in any way you can. That’s what my parents did for me.” He drew to attention the importance of a solid understanding of fundamental concept.

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