The story of a 32-year-old man, Richard Oponin Marfo, resonates with Abraham Lincoln's statement about failure, “my great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.”
In his early thirties, Richard Oponin Marfo has finally gained admission into his dream senior high school, Adisadel College, after 5 failed attempts.
The oldest among his siblings, Mr Marfo, who scored aggregate 10 in BECE, was posted to the Sammo Senior High School in 2004, instead of his dream school Adisadel College.
He completed his Senior High School education in 2007 and ventured into a footwear business on the street of Adum and Moro market.
In 2010, Mr Marfo realised his inability to fulfil his dream of enrolling at Adisadel College and decided to write B.E.C.E again but he was not given admission to Adisadel College.
"Three years later in 2010, I couldn't stand the desire of not fulfilling my dream school. I marshalled courage and got myself enrolled in Modern Educational Centre at Auakwa Sepaase in Kumasi to rewrite BECE. Despite having aggregate 6, I was still denied to be enrolled in Adisco".
His story which was shared by Ishmeal Awudi on Facebook on January 29, 2022, has since gone viral.
TWI NEWS
Read the full report as narrated by Ishmeal Awudi below:
A 32-year-old gains admission to his dream school.
32-year-old Richard Oponin Marfo has gained admission into Adisadel College his dream school after five B.E.C.E attempts.
Mr. Marfo the oldest among his siblings completed Maria Montessori School at Kumasi in 2004 with aggregate 10 hoping to further his education at Adisadle college but he was given admission at Sammo Senior High School.
He enrolled at Sammo Senior High school and completed his secondary education in 2007. After completion Mr. Marfo ventured into footwear on the streets of Adum and Moro market.
In 2010, Mr Marfo realised his inability to fulfil his dream of enrolling at Adisadel College and decided to write B.E.C.E again but he was not given admission to Adisadel College.
He says, "Three years later in 2010, I couldn't stand the desire of not fulfilling my dream school. I marshalled courage and got myself enrolled in Modern Educational Centre at Auakwa Sepaase in Kumasi to rewrite BECE. Despite having aggregate 6, I was still denied to be enrolled in Adisco".
With the adage "no Santa no school in Ghana" with 'santa' as Adisadel, Mr Marfo never gave up. He wrote B.E.C.E again in 2011 yet was denied admission after attaining aggregate 6.
He was given admission to TI Ahmadiyya with the assurance from the Headmaster of Adisadel College of transferring him after Form 2 but he left after his first year and started a lotto business at Adum.
After Mr Marfo's year at TI Ahmadiyya he left without transferring to Adisadel. He said " for my third attempt I was placed in Ekumfi TI Ahmadiyyaa to offer science. I went there on a promise of the then Headmaster of Adisadel College that I would be admitted to my dream College on transfer basis in form 2. Why should I be enrolled as a transfer student to Adisco? These words kept eating me up and made me forget the promise. Due to this i went to E-AMASS for only a term."
At age 26, Mr Marfo wrote B.E.C.E for the fourth time as a private candidate yet he was given admission not to Adisadel but to his first school Samma Senior High School. He denied the admission and continue his business.
After five years of waiting and hoping Mr Marfo wrote his fifth B.E.C.E in 2020 and this time he gained admission to his dream school Adisadel College at age 32.
He recounts this event as the happiest day of his life. He says "A year later in 2021, finally! finally! God answered my prayers and gave me my long awaited childhood dream school Adisadel College to study Computer Science on the 1st March, 2021 at age 32. And that has been the happiest day in my life since I was ever born".
