Formal Education Started With The Akyems Not Fantis - Konadu Rawlings

A former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings has challenged the widely held claim that formal education in Ghana began with the Fantis. According to Nana Konadu, the first modern day Ghanaians to be educated by the Basel Missionaries were Akyems.These pioneering groups, which include her paternal forefathers she claims, later spread their knowledge to the Fantis. Mrs. Rawlings made these claims when she joined the chiefs and people of Asamankese to celebrate this year�s Ohum festival. According to the former First Lady, �a lot of people know that I hail from a royal house in Ashanti, but my biological mother�s father is an Akyem."My maternal grandfather Mr. Safo is the first veterinary officer in West Africa and he hails from Otimi in Akyem Oda. � She added: �So when I am disclosing where I am coming from, I mention Ashanti and I mention Akyem as well."My mother is 87 years old but my mother�s grandparents are part of the first group of people educated by the Basel Missionary to become the first group of educated people in Akyem.�However, presently nobody even mentions their names or even makes reference to them. � "I have started writing all places where education first started in Ghana for everyone to know because some people think it started in the then Fanti States. It is not true. It started from Akyem before spreading to the Fanti land�.