Obuasi Senior High Technical School on Thursday, June 1, 2023, beat Christ the King Catholic Senior High School to emerge winners of this year’s World environment day debate competition held in Obuasi.
The debate, which was organized by AngloGold Ashanti Ghana, Obuasi Mine in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Ghana Education Service, was on the topic: “Single-use plastics should be banned to reduce pollution.”
After engaging in intriguing arguments, the judges awarded Obuasi Senior High Technical School, who argued in favour of the motion, the victory with 75 points. CKC, who argued against the motion, placed second with 64 points.
In an interview after the competition, Obuasi Municipal Director of Education, George Alfred Koomson, praised both schools for their outstanding performances. He said that banning single-use plastics is important for protecting the environment from pollution.
“I believe that the lessons learned from this debate competition should not be lip service. We should all make sure that we implement the lessons learned to protect the environment from pollution,” he said.
Mr. Koomson said that prior to the debate, the Education Directorates of the Obuasi Municipal and the Obuasi East District teamed up with AngloGold Ashanti to implement a beautification project that involved using plastic waste in schools.
“The goal was to show the students that plastic waste can be used to beautify the environment,” he said.
Obuasi Area Head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Prempeh Adarkwa Yiadom, spoke about the activities planned for this year’s World Environment Day, which is scheduled for Monday, June 5, 2023.
He remarked that the debate was important in raising awareness among schoolchildren about plastic waste management.
Prempeh Adarkwa Yiadom was optimistic that the lessons learned from the debate would lead to a change in attitude towards plastic waste management.
World Environment Day is celebrated globally on June 5 every year. It is a day set aside by the United Nations (UN) to inspire worldwide awareness and action to protect the environment.
This year’s theme is “Beat Plastic Pollution” and will be marked in Obuasi with a grand durbar at the AGA Clubhouse at Wawase.
