The Roman Ridge School has been adjudged as the winner of this year’s Queens Essay Competition in Ghana. TRRS picked up a whopping 64 medals, higher than any number won by participating schools in Ghana.
It is the fourth successive victory by the school, whose pupils are targeting the ultimate global award in next year’s event.
The school had 21 gold, 14 silver and 29 bronze medals which were presented to the students at a colourful Queens Commonwealth Essay Competition Special Awards ceremony held in the school’s premises.
It was an awesome afternoon as the students treated the guests including Mr. John Apea, Head of the Royal Commonwealth Society’s Africa office; Mrs. Claire Walker,wife of the British High Commissioner to Ghana; Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee, Former Minister of Education and Ms. Elizabeth Ohene, Former BBC journalist and Minister of Education to an afternoon music and excellent organisation.
Claire Walker with a section of the students
The students showcased a great understanding of Ghana’s culture and dance, a testimony that their prowess was not only limited to writing insightful essays that win medals but also was in tune with the country’s arts, culture and entertainment.
The headmistress Mrs. Valerie Mainoo could not help but be proud of her students for the enviable feat they have chalked.
The event was chaired by Rev. Dr. Joyce R. Aryee, Chair of TRRS Academic Board of Governors, who extended her heartfelt congratulations to the pupils, teachers and families for this wonderful achievement.
During her speech, Dr. Aryee seized the opportunity to emphasise the importance of literacy and critical thinking in a child’s development and the progress of Ghana as a nation, stating that: “TRRS is a school that deeply values the importance of strong skills in Literacy, which is the essential bedrock of a sound educational programme…”
“Creative expression and the ability to share your ideas and opinions, is extremely important to the development of a diverse worldview and in turn strong global citizens – who will help build a better Ghana and a better world,” Dr. Aryee said.
Key to success
Claire Walker presenting
Claire Walker who was one of the guests of honour of the occasion challenged the students to pursue higher goals by learning and acquiring higher education.
“If you feel like the door is locked the key is education and it’s here for the taking. Education is your passport to achieving hopes and ambitions. Education and learning never end,” she said
The RCS Africa head John Apea said many of the social problems facing the country are rooted in lack of education, saying to surmount these challenges, the country must adopt aggressive literacy and education models.
Mr John Apea
He cited the Queens Essay Competition, the world’s oldest schools’ international writing competition, managed by The Royal Commonwealth Society since 1883, as a major activity tailored at promoting critical thinking, literacy and education of young students.
The competition for seniors and juniors is competed for by children from ages 18 and below.
Mr Apea congratulated the teachers and students of all schools who participated in the competition, particularly the Roman Ridge school for their awesome performance.
A delegation from the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) including the Country Director, Mrs. Francoise Lubanda; Head of Projects, Mrs. Anita Amponsah and Business Development Officer, Ms. Denise Oteng-Agyei all attending.
Close to 400 students participated from Ghana alone in a competition that had over 12,000 entries from across the five regions of the Commonwealth in the 2018 edition.
Ms. Elizabeth Ohene, Former BBC journalist and Minister of Education presenting an award to one of the winners
This year’s competition reflected the 2018 Commonwealth Theme of ‘Towards a Common Future’ and its four sub-themes of A Fairer Future, A More Sustainable Future, A More Secure Future and A More Prosperous Future which informed the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting held in London in April.
“The Winners and Runners-Up produced highly original and thought-provoking short stories and poems on such varied topics as child marriage, the impact of environmental damage on future generations, educational inequality, and the competing concepts of Wealth, Freedom, Health and Happiness,” a statement from the competitions’ secretariat said.
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