St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School wins debate contest

St Thomas Aquinas Secondary School has won the second edition of the Inter-schools Debate organized by the Ghana Culture Forum in Accra today.

The debate which took place at Aquinas Secondary School was organized by the Ghana Culture Forum (GCF) as part of activities to mark the 12th Ghana Culture Day Celebrations which falls on Tuesday, March 14 at the Kofi Annan ICT Centre of Excellence in Accra.

The theme for the celebration is "Culture, Technology and Current Trends. Making the Youth the Center of Transformation.

In a keynote address, Kwabena Nkrumah aka Spikey spoke about opportunities available as a result of an intersection of culture and technology. He challenged the youths to tell our own African stories and also design solutions to our African problems that leverage our environment.

The chairperson for the ocassion, Professor Awo Mana Asiedu, Dean of the School of Performing Arts encouraged the youths to shun social ills like betting which can be addictive. She advised the youth to appreciate our Ghanaian culture since it has a lot to offer.

The vice chairman of the GCF Ahuma Bosco Ocansey told the students that it's important that we adjust our tastes to appreciate our Ghanaian cuisine. He said the more we consume imported goods, the poorer we become noting that, once we change our tastes, our economy will also change.

Other schools that participated were Abor SHS, St John's Grammar School and last year's winners, Accra Girls Senior Secondary School.

Two student won special prizes for eloquence and indepth knowledge. They are Mary Adjetey of St Johns Grammar School and Rosebella Gyamfua Boateng of Accra Girls Secondary.

The judges for the debate were Dr. Sarah Dogbardzi of School of Performing Arts, Legon, Dr Sela Adjei a lecturer at Uni MAC - NAFTI campus and Abeiku Sagoe, a writer, actor and consultant.