Former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has shared an emotional story of sacrifice from his childhood, revealing how his younger brother gave up his only pig to help him continue his education.
Speaking on The Career Trail Season 4 on Joy Learning TV and Joy News, he recounted how he gained admission into secondary school after excelling in the Common Entrance Examination, but nearly lost the opportunity due to financial constraints.
“When the results came, I had done very well. I was the best-performing student in my middle school, and it turned out I was also among the best admitted to the secondary school I was to attend,” he said.
Despite his strong performance, securing admission required a deposit of GH₵40—an amount his father struggled to raise.
“It was difficult for my father to get the GH₵40. I remember him taking me from village to village, from farm to farm, asking people if they could support us with a loan, but he couldn’t get it,” he recalled.
With only weeks to reopen, hope began to fade.
“He did his best, but he couldn’t raise the money. Three weeks to reopening, it looked like the opportunity was gone,” he added.
A turning point came from within the family.
“My younger brother, who came directly after me, was taking care of my uncle’s piggery. He had been given one pig, which he had raised for about two to three years. It had grown very big, and he suggested we sell it so I could go to school,” he recounted.
According to him, that sacrifice secured his admission.
“So we sold the pig and got GH₵42. I was the happiest person on earth,” he said.
However, the decision came at a cost to his brother.
“My younger brother, who sold his only pig for me to go to secondary school, could not go himself when his turn came because my father still did not have the money. He teamed up with my older brother, and they sat by the roadside weaving cane chairs,” he reflected.
He noted that the challenge was not a lack of resources but irregular income.
“My father was not a poor man, but he had a cash flow problem. As a cocoa farmer, there were months when there was simply no money,” he explained.
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