By Michael Kofi Kenetey
Pentecost Senior High School (PENSEC) in the New Juaben South Municipality of the Eastern Region has emerged victorious in the maiden edition of the Inter-High Schools Debate Competition among four second-cycle institutions at the GNAT Hall in Koforidua in the New Juaben South Municipality. The competition was organized by the Eastern Regional Directorate of the National Youth Authority (NYA) in collaboration with the New Juaben South Youth Parliament. The Daasabreyere of the New Juaben Traditional Area, Akosua Asiedua Boateng, speaking as the Chairperson and Special Guest of the competition, noted that if Ghana is going to rise to its potential, then the country’s governance must be accountable, inclusive, and guided by citizen voices, especially the voices of the youth.
The preliminaries of the competition saw Pentecost Senior High School battling Koforidua Senior High Technical School on the topic “Social Media is the best platform for the youth to influence governance,” which saw PENSEC winning the battle to pick the first slot for the finals. Likewise, Oti Boateng Senior High School (OBOSS) also competed with New Juaben Senior High School on the topic “Discipline in school should be the responsibility of parents rather than teachers,” for the second slot, of which OBOSS won the ticket to contest PENSEC in the final. The topic for the final was “The Government should involve the Youth more in policy formulation.” The finals ended with PENSEC winning with 63 points and OBOSS becoming the runners-up with 60 points.
The Daasabreyere of the New Juaben Traditional Area, Akosua Asiedua Boateng, speaking as the Chairperson and Special Guest of the competition on the theme “Building Youth Voices for Accountable Governance,” noted that currently in Ghana and across the globe, young people are demanding a seat at the table. She added that the youth are asking bold questions, challenging systems, and insisting that leadership must be transparent, responsive, and responsible, which is right. She charged the youth to use their voice not only on debate stages but also to champion development in their communities.
The Speaker of the New Juaben South Youth Parliament, Emmanuel Asare, stated that the debate serves as a platform created to empower young people, amplify civic participation, and inspire confidence in the next generation of leaders. He reiterated that through dialogue and debate, the youth are offered the opportunity to think critically, speak boldly, and engage meaningfully in issues that shape society.
The Eastern Regional Director of the National Youth Authority, Evelyn Enyonam Lotsu, noted that the debate is not just about competition but rather about growing, learning, and building connections.
The winning team of PENSEC, who also spoke to the media, thanked God and their teachers for giving them all the support they required to enable them to emerge victorious in the competition.
All the participating schools were given medals, certificates of participation, and an undisclosed cash amount. PENSEC was given a plaque in addition to the medals, certificates of participation, and an undisclosed cash amount for winning the competition.
