By the middle of next year, Tamale Secondary School otherwise known by the acronym TAMASCO would have been Sixty (60) years old. Over the years it has positioned and entrenched itself incontrovertibly as the citadel of intellectual development in northern Ghana. There is no gainsaying the fact that at the time of the establishment of TAMASCO Northern Ghana was about a century behind the rest of the country in terms of secondary education. The Mfantsipim School which is the first secondary school in the country is over one hundred and fifty years now and Adisadel College was hundred years this year. This alarming gap explains why people like Alhassan Gbanzabah (the first graduate from the then Northern territory) and Adisa Munkaila had to move all the way to Accra to attend Achimota School for their Ordinary and Advance Levels Education. In 1951 when the Colonial administration established TAMASCO then known as the Government Secondary School the priority among others was to bridge the human capacity gap between the north and south of Ghana. True to this object TAMASCO popularly acclaimed as THE NORTHERN LIGHT has churned out world class human resource comparable to any second cycle or high school in contemporary times. Products of TAMASCO are therefore very instrumental in the globalization process today. It would be voluminous to attempt a roll call of products of the NORTHERN LIGHT who have played and still are playing very key roles in all facets of life nationally and internationally. Suffice it to reiterate the following as personalities inter alia who have distinguished themselves in their fields of endeavors, thus I cannot proceed without giving them a standing ovation. Of the Tamascan extraction are Alhaji Rahimu Gbadamosi, the First Senior Prefect and a former Director-General of the Ghana Education Service Dr. Hilla Limann who was the President of the Third Republic of Ghana, Alhaji Aliu Mahama was the Vice President of the third and fourth part of the Fourth Republic of Ghana, Lt. Gen. Joshua Hamidu (rtd) was a former Chief of Defence Staff of Ghana Armed Forces, Mr. B.A. Yakubu was once the Inspector General of the Ghana Police Service, Alhaji Malik Alhassan Yakubu has been an astute Parliamentarian of international orientation having served as the Second Deputy Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament and a Vice President of the Pan-African Parliament in Midrand South Africa, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni is a renown legal practitioner and currently Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Alhaji Ibrahim Mahama is an experienced and inspirational Lawyer, Professor Raymond Benning is an expert in Geography and the First Vice Chancellor of the University for Development Studies(UDS), Arch Bishop Gregory Kpebaya, Sheikh Imam Rashid Salawatiya, Air Vice Marshal Oje of the Military High Command, Professor Quartey lectures at the University of Cape Coast, Professor John Kaburisie(RIP) was also a Vice Chancellor of the UDS, Professor Wayo is a fellow of the Institute for Economic Affairs, Dr. Abdulai Salifu is the Director-General of the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR), Dr. Adam Gamel Nasser and Alhassan Anamzooya lecture at the University of Ghana, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas is a former President of the ECOWAS Commission and currently the Secretary-General of the African Pacific and Carribbean Countries enclave, Professor Abukari Alhassan is an astute Architect, Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu is a Member of the Council of State, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is a celebrated Economist and a Former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Gyader is a prominent Medical Practitioner, Dr. Abdulai Choggu is a Philanthropist and a Medical Doctor, Naa Professor John Nabila is Wurugu Naaba and President of the National House of Chiefs, Dr. Mensah is a philanthropist and runs GRID-NEA, Mr. Alban Bagbin is the Minister for Water Resources, Mr. Douglas Adjarbeng is the Director of Supplies at the Ghana COCOBOD, Mr. Kojo Bonsu (Chairman of the National Sports Council) and Chief Alhaji MND Jawula, Lipowura of Gonjaland are renowned Sports administrators, Mr. Peter Iliasu and Mr. Adam Sule are accomplished Bankers, Madam Theresa Oppong is a Business Magnate and Chief Executive of MANET, Col. Adamu Koto, Air Commodore Kadiri, Col. Abukari Issahaku, Abdulai Rafiu (MD of Ghana Post), Mr. S.Y. Seini (Director of Ghana Legal Aid) and Mr. Ali Nakyea a Tax Expert are but a few of the names that easily come to mind. In view of the valuable input of the personalities aforementioned in our development context it is apposite, therefore, to express our utmost admiration and appreciation to the founding fathers of TAMASCO, its headmasters such as Alhaji Gbadamosi, Mr. Aryittey (RIP), Alhaji Amadu Belko (RIP), Bolina Saaka and currently T.A. Mahama, teachers and other auxiliary staff whose collective fervor and devotion to excellence and discipline successfully imparted to the past and current student body the NORTHERN LIGHT’s defining values of bravery (fortitude), faithfully (fidelity) and happiness (felicity). This culminates in the school’s motto: FORTITER, FIDELITER and FELICITER. These values are religiously and jealously guarded because they imbue in every TAMASCAN self confidence, the hunger for continuous excellence and the quest for self reliance. It is reminiscent to note on the lighter side that one cannot talk about an environment like TAMASCO to any contemporary TAMASCAN especially in the last decade without the mention of the popular food vendors on the vast campus like “I CHECK SO”, “KAPIA”, “ALAJI HOUSE” and “GABLEE HOUSE”. What about the popular Shoe Maker “GBADA” and the evergreen photographer “ABU SHIRAZ”. The females will also reminisce very well about “THE MAN”. Those were interesting times and I cannot wait to be back to the TAMASCO Campus to have a feel of it especially of my beloved Eastern or Junior School and the Dynamic Pattinson House (Livingstone). Coming back to these familiar environment a decade later leaves one with nothing but to reminisce the past. My class was made up of students of different sizes, weights, heights, temperaments and ages with very hilarious characters and nicknames. Ishawu was called the “MINORITY LEADER”, Isaac Gumah Mankulu (RIP) was DMX, Azunga was nicknamed “ENGLISH CORNER” Awolu Shaibu was “Yunyosco Boy”, Afa Jibril was called “FEEMANTASHAA” because of the unique prayer he used to offer at Monday’s Headmaster’s Assembly, Jenkins Cofie (JAY ZEE), Francis(PIZARRO) Saani Adib was “BI PONG”, Alhassan Tahiru was the “TIMA LANA”, there was a girl called Augustina “MWEAW” and yours truly was called “POLITICAL MESSIAH” and led a controversy steering group at the left wing corner of the class called “THE FOUR CRACK DEMOCRATS” made up Ishawu, Muhammed, Azunga and Mankulu. Most often the basic training we had at our infant stages in the school developed every student especially in my class to be team builders and team players. We were fifty six students in a very big and airy class with 28 lads and 28 girls. A classical case of equitable distribution and despite the nature of the class, intellectual acumen and your ability to argue out your case was its hall mark and not how fearful your physical stature or how horrific your voice was. My nearly three years in TAMASCO was quite rewarding and friendships I entered into have endured the challenges of times till date. Bolina Saaka was the Headmaster of our time and was ably assisted by Madam Mercy Amankwandor a Disciplinarian, Mr. Issah Yahaya who was very principled but humorous and Mr. Issah Seidu who was an ardent practitioner of “Spare the Blow and Spoil the Child.” Paul Abeneh and later Dan Bitir were Senior House Masters and the ever fashionable Madam Olivia being the Senior House Mistress. Madam Olivia and Beatrice Mensah (RED CAR) were also patrons of the Debating Club of which yours truly was a principal debater alongside Sheikh Mubarak. Eric Bortey (Mr. Wise) was my English Tutor for three years, Teremagre Puukubebeku Atinga Felix “mmm, ahh, kpa kpa” tutored in Geography with Mr. David (I Check So) tutoring Economics whiles Alhaji Ilias was Islamic Religious Studies Tutor. Aside the development of human resource, the school has carried itself creditably and strives for continuous academic excellence. It has been at the forefront of inter-school debates as champions in the Northern Sector and Runners-Up at the national level on many occasions and has also established itself as an institution worthy of recognition at the Brilliant Science and Maths Quiz where it once came second to Prempeh College. In sports, TAMASCO cannot be left out when the history of athletics and the Milo Second Cycle Schools Championship is being written. The contribution of TAMASCO to industry and the public sector of Ghana have been monumental. Ghana’s economy especially in the years after independence needed a lot of graduates to occupy available vacancies. The situation was such that there were more jobs than there were graduates to employ. TAMASCO therefore produced the required human resource for the growing civil service, new industries, new educational institutions and Health facilities alike. This explains why names like Alhaji Gbadamosi, Lawyer S.S. Shaibu, Dr. Gyader (the first Ghanaian doctor to operate and remove a breast tumor), Lawyer Lugtera and Alhaji B. A. Fuseini have been very popular in the northern sector of Ghana. In those days TAMASCANS were highly sought after as engineers, administrators, lawyers and teachers especially in the West African Sub-Region where the winds of political and economic change were blowing all over. It is pretty a different environment now from the past. In view of the trend in the educational structure of Ghana, secondary schools including TAMASCO face very sophisticated challenges where government alone can no more shoulder the burgeoning difficulties and budgetary constraints. There are no more jobs awaiting even university graduates, there is a very rapid spate of indiscipline in all secondary schools across the country culminating in very poor and less productive school leavers in society. Let me be emphatic here, and I hope some Old Boys and Girls of TAMASCO are reading this. Today’s world has changed dramatically in all facets of life be it political, economic, technology or social. As OLD TAMASCANS get ready to commemorate and celebrate next year with justifiable pride, the sixty (60) years of Tamale Secondary School, we must pause and reflect on the tangible and intangible impacts be it positive or otherwise the school has made since the year 2001 when we marked the 50TH Anniversary. Depending on the conclusion you may reach there would by all means be a problem to rectify or the need to improve drastically on an existing good situation. The last time I checked the girls dormitory was so congested and the newly constructed girls hostel was rather given to students of Bagabaga Training College to occupy at the behest of suffering female students of TAMASCO. There are still lingering questions on washroom facilities in the school, the electricity system has been so erratic, academic standards have fallen and the school being the NORTHERN LIGHT cannot even boast of a state of the art Information and Communication Technology facility fully connected to the internet. For me the time to act is now because we cannot afford to celebrate our school’s 60 years whiles excellence which is the brand associated with TAMASCO erodes at a very fast pace. The OLD TAMASCANS ASSOCIATION (OTA), the School Administration, the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and students in collaboration with government would have to act now to renew the very best traditions and values of TAMASCO. Muhammed A. Yakubu 0244875783 africansaphari@gmail.com