Our History

PRESCO was established as an elitist, middle-class school for boys and continues to be one of the best secondary schools in Nigeria today. After the war in 1970, it became a mixed school for both boys and girls. All students were required to complete some core courses in the ARTS and SCIENCES; such as English language, English Literature, History, Geography, French, Religious Knowledge and Mathematics, General. Sciences such as general science, health science, physics, chemistry, and biology were advanced.

In 1967 an HSC section was to have been built beyond the school dam (where students swam like swans in season) but the war took away that dream. We had a good library, ample sports provisions, and extra curricular and spiritual activities. There was a college radio from which students got the news every morning.

PRESCO excelled in soccer i.e. football; and drama throughout the province and Eastern Region. We participated in sports and athletics, we played Julius Caesar with the best of Shakespearean Costumes ever. Students learnt the meaning of discipline; waking up very early for cross country runs led by one American, Mr. Murphy and the Scot, Patrick Keightley. Beds were made for inspection every morning, by the principal, before the morning prayers and classroom activities commenced at 8 am every school day.

 Meals were served sumptuously, three times a day and all students were boarded. The school fee was sixty nine pounds (£69)a year; and covered beds, lockers, meals, uniforms, canvasses, and Clark’s sandals. One Sunday in every month the students were marched in white shirts, shorts and canvass shoes to attend Church Services at the PCN Kpirikpiri. No one dared to break ranks.
Students were allowed to go to town once a term and the Principal was the Banker. Sixty-nine

 The regular School uniform was white shirts on royal blue short knickers with Clark sandals. The Principal wore the uniform and ate with us in the Dining Hall.

 Once a term, a Disco was organized by the Principal on his turn table. He was the banker, mentor, father, tutor and all. He was the head of the “Maintenance Gang” and he ran a School Clinic at Matthew House, which had his wife as the “Nurse”.
 There was a timekeeper for all the curricular and extra-curricular activities of the school.

SCHOOL HOUSES

 Students were accommodated in the following houses, with
Registration Numbers. (Mine was 120).

 1). Matthew House
2). Mark House
3). Luke House
4). John House
5). New House
Senior Students of Classes 4 and 5 slept on single six spring beds while the middle classes of 2 and 3 slept on top of double bunk beds. “Foxes” always slept under the older students of classes 2 and 3. The Principal’s Maintenance Gang had to pump water every morning and repair all broken-down engines and facilities.

 The Principal, Rev. Aitken was an Engineer, Mathematician, Pianist and a Rev. Minister, rolled into one. After the War, Elder Nwonye Obini acted briefly as the Principal, followed by a substantive Principal, Mr.Achinivu O. Achinivu; up to 1971. The rest is contemporary history.

SCHOOL FACILITIES

The facilities of the school were first class and the academic standards and the welfare of staff and students were very high and comparable to that of any highly reputable school anywhere in the world. There were sports clubs, facilities for Water Polo, Table Tennis, ringo; football etc. There were Laboratories for Science experiments. Every student was a Chorister and the Principal was the Choir Master. There was a Scripture Union Chapter on Campus.


EXPECTATIONS OF FOUNDING FATHERS

The expectations of the founding fathers of the school have been fulfilled to a very large extent. Today, Alumni of PRESCO are spread across the World, in all professions. Today we have Doctors, Engineers, Army Generals and Colonels; Professors, Vice Chancellors and Deputy Vice Chancellors; Ministers and Directors of the Federal Republic; Architects, Mathematicians, Physicists, Pharmacists, Surveyors; PhD holders, Artists and Musicians, Captains of industry, very senior and retired Public and Civil Servants of States and the Federal Republic.
The School’s reputation had spread like wildfire in 1962 as students from  Cameroon (Emmanuel Ngyonge Doh), the North (Yakubu Umoru), the West (Julius Olabisi) and from all the old Eastern Region came and participated actively in the Dramatic, Geographical and Debating Societies. 

The School had two popular Magazines namely the EXPLORER and the EPOCH of PRESCO. The Epoch was published once a year but the Explorer came out 4 times a year.


THE BIAFRAN WAR CAME

The School went on an impromptu recess in July 1967 after the Principal had taught us the Church Hymnary number 556 “Be still My Soul…”, which later turned out to be the tune and stanza of the Biafran Anthem. The Biafran War lasted from July 1967 to January 15, 1970, for 30 months. After the war, the 1963, 1964, and 1965 sets, took their WAEC Examinations in 1970 and 1971 in the Old Campus, though they had begun their last laps in Eastman High School after the war. The School continued in the Old Campus till the 4th Republic which took off in 1999, when the Ebonyi State Government created the State University and took over the Old Site. 
Still
After the war, the School became a mixed School as well as a Day School. However, boarding facilities were provided later.
Despite the war, the school has continued to create positive effects of good education which often exceed the predicted, imagined and foreseen expectations.

 PRESCO today is the “Triumph of Success over Tragedy.” The School continues to be the beehive of academic activities, churning out thousands of hot brains that have gone out to conquer the world.