Pope Johns SHS Wins 16th Interschool�s Debate

The 16th interschool�s debate competition has ended in Accra with Pope John�s Minor Seminary and Senior High School emerging as winners. Masters Emmanuel Bosu and Zuriel Ollennu, principal and supporting speaker, respectively, spoke for the motion: �That partnership among political parties is a panacea for innovation in national development� while their opponents from St. James Seminary and Senior High School spoke against the motion. Pope John�s Minor Seminary and Senior High School, who won with seventy points, was of the view that partnership among politicians would serve the public interest and enable them fight for a common vision with collective responsibilities. The winning School took home a cash sum of one thousand, five hundred Ghana cedis (GH�1, 500.00) and a set of computers with its accessories while the St. James Seminary and Senior High School got a cash sum of one thousand Ghana cedis (GH�1, 000.00) and a set of computers and accessories. In a speech delivered on her behalf, the Minister for Education, Prof. Naana Opoku- Agyemang, noted that without partnership among all stakeholders, no nation could achieve much in development, adding, however, that working in collaboration was essential not only for political parties but also for schools and communities. Prof. Agyemang entreated all Ghanaians to reflect on what they wanted for the country, so as to take decisions that would move the nation forward. She congratulated both schools and urged them to continue to strive for the best. The Greater Accra Regional Director for Education, Mrs Elizabeth De-souza, who acted as the chairperson for the occasion, also congratulated the participating schools as well as the teachers who prepared them. Mrs De-souza indicated that the students who participated in the debate would be provided with a laptop each to encourage them do more research to improve upon their skills while the teachers who prepared them would also be given an amount of two hundred Ghana cedis (GH� 200.00) each. The inter school�s debate competition is a yearly exercise organised prior to Independence Day celebration which aims to examine the extent to which students could analyze and critique issues before drawing conclusions. The debate also portrays how much students are abreast of events in the country and beyond.