After a fierce intellectual contest among six formidable schools, Tema Senior High School has earned the coveted bragging rights, emerging as the undisputed winner of the third Inter-Schools Debate. This prestigious event, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service, commemorated five decades of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The debate was meticulously structured into four challenging rounds, each featuring distinct topics for the schools to passionately argue. The opening round saw St. John’s Grammar face off against Labone Senior High School. In the second round, Accra Wesley Girls Senior High was paired with St. Thomas Aquinas, while Ebenezer Senior High and Tema Senior High competed in the third. The intensity culminated in the fourth and final round, where the two highest-scoring schools from the previous stages Ebenezer Senior High School and Tema Senior High battled for supremacy.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Resident Representative of ECOWAS, Ambassador Mohammed Lawan Gana, emphasized that this Golden Jubilee extends beyond a mere celebration of years passed. He underscored that the event marks a celebration of a collective journey as a region, one built on the principles of integration, cooperation, peace, and shared prosperity.
Ambassador Gana highlighted the profound significance of the debate, stating that it reflects the students’ readiness to embody not only the conscience of the present but the hope for the future of ECOWAS as well.
“Our gathering here today thus carries a special meaning for us; it is in our schools and amongst the youth that the next chapter of ECOWAS will be written. You are the generation that will carry forward the vision of regional unity and development. Your participation in this debate demonstrates your readiness to lead, to question, to imagine, and to shape the West Africa of tomorrow.”
He further acknowledged the significant progress and contributions of ECOWAS since its inception in 1975, noting its role in facilitating trade, promoting peace, safeguarding democracy, and fostering a regional identity for citizens through political will and constitutional evolution. However, he also candidly addressed ongoing challenges, particularly “the departure of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger among many other challenges, stressing that the work of ECOWAS is far from done.
Ambassador Gana concluded by affirming his belief that the debate transcends a mere academic exercise, representing democracy, critical thinking at work, and the shaping and sharpening of minds for the future of ECOWAS.
Following the compelling debate, Tema Senior High School was declared the overall winner, receiving a prize of GH¢4,000 and a well-deserved citation. Ebenezer Senior High secured second place, awarded GH¢3,500 and a citation. St. Thomas Aquinas claimed the third position, earning GH¢3,000 and a citation.
St. John’s Grammar, Accra Wesley Girls, and Labone Senior High finished fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively, each receiving GH¢2,000 and a citation.
Story By: Eugenia Ewoenam Osei
