By Kamal Ahmed
Koforidua (E/R), July 5, GNA – The Saint Rose’s Senior High School (SHS), an all-girls institution, has won the fifth edition of the Eastern Region Energy Commission Senior High School Renewable Energy Challenge.
The school’s development of a special machine capable of collecting waste from waterbodies gave it victory over nine other SHSs.
The girls’ ability to invent this machine revolutionized the way environmental clean-up efforts are conducted, and inspiring others to find creative solutions to pressing environmental problems.
Also, their success challenges traditional gender and patriarchal norms, as the team of young girls shattered stereotypes and proved that anyone, regardless of gender, can make a meaningful impact society.
The school located in Akwatia in the Denchembour District emerged victorious, beating nine other schools, including Okuapeman Senior High School, New Juaben Senior High School and Fodoa Community.
The schools that competed against them were Day Senior High School, Suhum Senior High Technical School, Adonten Senior High School, Akwatia Technical Institute, Mamfe Methodist Girls’ Senior High School, Aburi Girls’ Senior High School, and Oti Boateng Senior High School.
In an interview with Ghana News Agency, Aheleh-Tettey Eleanor Hedjorleh Naa Afi, the leader of the team from Saint Roses SHS, credited their success to “a lot of effort, sleepless nights, and group studies.”
She also expressed their determination to put in “a lot of effort” to win the national competition.
She added that, “The competition gave us a wide scope into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, which has given us a broader view and in-depth knowledge about how they interconnect.”
She urged her colleague students to take their studies seriously to ensure they excel in the competition.
The event was on the theme: “Application of Renewable Energy Technologies in Solving Land Degradation and Water Pollution.”
The competition, initiated in 2019 by the Energy Commission of Ghana in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES), was to foster interest in renewable energy and energy efficiency among students in second-cycle institutions.
The joint effort between the Commission and the GES aims to educate and raise awareness about renewable energy and energy efficiency in senior high schools and technical institutions nationwide.
Mr. John Kobina Aboah Sanie, Deputy Minister of Energy, stated that the Energy Commission’s SHS Renewable Energy Challenge is one of the Commission’s flagships programmes, established in 2019.
He noted the initiative not only celebrates the ingenuity and creativity of the youth but also reaffirmed “our collective commitment to addressing pressing environmental issues.”
He said that the application of renewable energy technologies to solving land degradation and water pollution underscored the urgency of environmental challenges and the pivotal role renewable energy could play in addressing them.
“Land degradation is not just an abstract concept; it is a pressing reality that affects our health, communities, and the economy,” he said.
He explained that for far too long, “our education sector has operated in silos, disconnected from the ever-evolving needs of our industries.”
He added: “This has led to a gap between what the students learn in the classroom and the practical skills demanded by the industry.”
However, he said initiatives like the Energy Commission SHS renewable energy challenge served as a beacon of hope in bridging this divide by integrating real-world challenges and industry-relevant projects into the educational curriculum to empower youths to gain practical skills and cultivate a mindset of innovation and adaptability.
The Minister emphasised that, over time, the renewable energy challenge had transformed into a national initiative, captivating the interest and enthusiasm of educational and non-educational institutions.
Ms. Ivy Asantewaa Owusu, Eastern Regional Director of Education, said that coordinators of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics would support them so that all skills and talents would be harnessed.
She said all the schools were going to get tablets, and that their science and other labs were going to be equipped to aid learning activities.
She urged the students to acquire more knowledge, saying, “Continue to explore and research because we need scientists, engineers, and skills driven solutions to build this country for a better future.”
GNA