The youth and women desk of the West Gonja/North Gonja District("s") of the Ghana National Association of Teachers(GNAT),successfully held the second edition of its annual Pre-Independence Quiz Competition,Tuesday March 5,2019,at the Assembly Hall of the Damongo Senior High School in the Savannah regional capital(Damongo).
The competition which was organized under the auspices of the GNAT Youth Desk and GNAT Ladies,had a total of five basic schools randomly selected across the West Gonja District participating.
The schools were:Canteen J.H.S,Kurabaso J.H.S,New life J.H.S,Damongo Model Girl's J.H.S and Yabum J.H.S.
After nearly three hours of remarkable erudition,Damongo Girls' Model J.H.S was adjudged the winner of the 2019 second edition of the competition with a total of 38 points.
New Life J.H.S followed closely with a total of 30 points to place second. Yabum J.H.S came third with a total of 23 points. In the fourth position was Canteen J.H.S with a total of 22 points. Kurabaso J.H.S appeared at the bottom with a total of 17 points.
The district youth coordinator of the GNAT for West Gonja and North Gonja Districts,Mr.Ananpansah B Abraham congratulated all the participants for the incredible display of mastery of our common history.
He said the essence of the competition was basically to prepare the students to better commemorate the 62nd Independence Day Celebration of our country.
According to him,there is much in our pre-independence,independence and post independence struggles of glory and we need not to be ashamed of our past. He emphasized the need to create and sustain in the students,the synergetic impulses of past and present generation of leaders.
Whiles making justifiable pride in striving to annex the immutable component of dogma or fixed traditions by which we learn what to believe, thus, stucking us in prejudice and limitations and never free to change and grow by thinking critically. The problems of the youth of today according to him,are deeply rooted in history.
"What our ancestor achieved in the Context of their contemporary society gives us confidence that we can create, out of that past, a glorious future, not in terms of war or military pomps, but in terms of social progress and or peace... Our battles shall be against the old ideas that keep man trammelled in their own greed; against the crass stupidities that breed hatred, fear and inhumanity,", he said.
He encouraged the students to be good ambassadors of our history and appealed to well meaning bodies and stakeholders to take keen interest in the initiative and support the youth desk to come out with more of such initiatives. He disclosed the competition has come to stay amidst the challenges.
Madam Fuseini Naimatu,the GNAT Las coordinator challenged the students,especially the females to be assertive and participate more in such competitions. According to her,women can do better, what men can do. She congratulated Damongo Girls' Model for wining this year's edition of the competition,mindful of the fact that,they won last year's maiden edition. She made a passionate appeal to stakeholders to come to the aid of the youth wings of the association,so they can organise more of such competitions and improve subsequent editions of the competition.
The quiz competition was moderated by Chief Abdallah Tolodompewura Mornoh of CHRAJ and had in attendance, the district director of CHRAJ,headteachers and teachers of the various basic schools in the district, interest groups and the media.
All participants took home award packages from the GNAT youth, including books, marshals and pens.