Our Lady of Grace Senior High School in the Ashanti Region has emerged as the best-performing school at the fourth edition of the National STEM Plastic Waste Management Competition, held in Kumasi.
The competition, organised by the German foundation Konrad Adenauer-Stiftung Ghana Office in partnership with the Education Unit of the Catholic Bishops' Conference, Ghana, brought together Senior High Schools to develop practical, community-relevant solutions to plastic waste management.
The other schools that competed were the Catholic Technical Institute, St. Augustine's Senior High School and St. Joseph Senior High School. Among the products the students presented were Christmas trees and other decorative items made from plastic waste materials.
Addressing the press at the event, the Programmes Manager of KAS Ghana, Ms Lawrencia Akosua Pomaa, said the foundation believes young people hold the key to solving the country's environmental challenges, particularly plastic waste.
"One of the major issues of plastic waste is flooding, as experienced in the capital recently where people lost their lives. We believe that we need the next generation of young people who can come up with innovative solutions to these problems," she said.
She added that plastic waste had entrepreneurial value beyond being mere trash. "Plastic is not just trash, but are valuables that can be recycled to make money, thus, we want to show the entrepreneurial aspect of the plastic waste management through this competition," she said.
In a speech read on his behalf by James Otwey Junior, the Director of the Ashanti Regional Environmental Protection Agency said plastic pollution remained one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the country, contributing to flooding, pollution of water bodies and health risks.
"Today's competition is not just more than a contest, but it is an opportunity for young people to demonstrate creativity, environmental responsibility, and practical solutions that can contribute to a cleaner and more sustainable Ghana," he said.
The Ashanti Regional General Manager of Catholic Schools, Ghana, Rev. Fr. John Amankwah, said the Catholic Education Unit was pleased to be associated with the programme.
"We want to look at the harm caused to our environment by plastic waste materials and to solicit ideas from our learners whose involvement, active participation and contributions in managing global challenges cannot be underestimated," he stated.
The three winning schools shared a cash prize of GH¢10,000, together with dustbins and calculators donated by Adminex Academy. Certificates were also presented to all participating schools.
