Accra, July 11, GNA – St. Augustine’s College has won the Southern Belt edition of the Catholic Senior High Schools, Senior High Technical Schools and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) STEM Plastic Waste Management Competition.
The Cape Coast-based school emerged winner after outperforming six other Catholic second-cycle institutions at the competition held in Accra on Friday.
Students showcased innovative products developed from plastic waste as practical solutions to environmental pollution through the application of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Archbishop Porter Girls’ Senior High School placed second, while St. Thomas Aquinas Senior High School finished third.
The competition was organised by the Catholic Education Unit in collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) Ghana Office and other partners to promote innovation and environmental stewardship among young people.
Speaking to the media at the event, Ms Anna Lena Sabroso-Wasserfall, Country Representative of KAS Ghana, said the initiative formed part of the Foundation’s civic education efforts aimed at equipping young people to tackle environmental challenges.
She said the recent flooding in Accra and other parts of the country had reinforced the need to address plastic waste through education and innovation.
“We need to address people quite young. The younger they are, the better they get the message and begin to implement these values in their own lives,” she said.
Ms Sabroso-Wasserfall said the competition, now in its third consecutive year, had recorded significant progress, with students presenting more technologically advanced and innovative solutions compared to previous editions.
She expressed the hope that participants would go beyond the competition to become ambassadors for responsible plastic waste management in their schools and communities.
Mr Francis Batadjan, General Manager of Catholic Schools, Ghana, said the competition aligned with the Church’s commitment to protecting creation and promoting responsible environmental practices.
He said improper disposal of plastic waste continued to threaten the environment, citing recent flooding incidents as a reminder of the consequences of poor waste management.
“When plastic destroys people, animals and plants, it is the earth that is being destroyed, and if our habitat is destroyed, where will we live?” he asked.
Mr Batadjan described the competition as “very, very impressive,” saying it had challenged students to develop practical solutions to plastic pollution.
He called on entrepreneurs and businesses in the plastics industry to partner schools by supporting promising innovations to enable them to be developed on a larger scale.
He also urged students to view the competition as a catalyst for positive behavioural change rather than merely an opportunity to win prizes.
“The competition should trigger positive behavioural change towards plastic waste management,” he said.
GNA
George Agboklu