By Florence Afriyie Mensah
Kumasi, Aug 11, GNA – The Presbyterian Boys Senior High School (Presec), Legon, has emerged winners of the Southern Zonal Competition of the 6th Energy Commission Senior High School (SHS) Renewable Energy Challenge with a top score of 83 percent.
The all-boys school developed a solar-powered health port, which aids patients in registering their vitals, recording personal details as well as diagnosing illness at the various health facilities to ease the congestion and advance health delivery in Ghana.
Adidome SHS placed second with 76 percent by presenting a solar-powered waste segregation bin, Ahantaman Girls SHS placed third, when they displayed the functions to a solar paneled vaccine cooler to revolutionize vaccine access in remote areas in Ghana.
The other schools, made up of Bia SHS, Opoku Ware School, Bueman SHS, Presby Senior High Technical in Larteh, and Assin Manso SHS, took the fourth to eighth positions when they presented their innovative projects in areas to address food security, waste management, healthcare delivery and renewable energy solutions.
This year’s event was held on the theme: “Sustainable Energy for a Healthier Future”.
Mrs Eunice Biritwum, Acting Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission, said that the initiative which started in 2019 aimed to promote digitalization, and practical application of renewable energy, clean energy and energy efficient technologies and solutions amongst students in the second cycle institutions.
“Our education system often relies on the chew, pour, pass and forget phenomenon often making it difficult for students to apply theories learnt in school to solve real world problems.
This challenge seeks to bridge that gap by empowering students to turn their knowledge into real solutions that can benefit society”, she explained.
She expressed satisfaction at the performance of over 120 schools that participated in this year’s regional competitions, adding that their creativity and innovativeness were inspiring which signified the youth possessed remarkable talents.
The acting Executive Secretary indicated that the Commission would ensure that the projects developed by the students went beyond the prototype stages and encouraged its commercialization.
Mr Richard Addo Gyamfi, Ashanti Regional Director, Ghana TVET Service, observed that “we live in a country where we rely heavily on fossil fuel, we produce and consume energy that deeply affects not only our environment but our health and well-being”.
Tapping the talents of these young minds in the areas of renewable energy and sustainability, he noted, was a worthy cause which everyone needed to support.
GNA
Edited by Kwabia Owusu-Mensah/Christian Akorlie