The Member of Parliament for Navrongo Central in the Upper East Region, Simon Akibange Aworigo, has reaffirmed his commitment to improving education and literacy among students in the constituency through the introduction of an annual essay competition for Junior High and Senior High School students.
The initiative, which forms part of the MP’s broader educational support programme, was officially launched during this year’s Independence Day celebration in Navrongo. The programme also includes scholarships for talented students who require support to pursue their academic goals.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Aworigo explained that the essay competition was introduced to sharpen students’ writing, comprehension and analytical skills while encouraging them to critically engage with social issues affecting their communities.
“From students’ scholarship awards to launching an annual essay competition among Junior High and Senior High students in the constituency, all these efforts are meant to improve the learning outcomes of our children, particularly in literacy and numeracy,” he said.
According to the MP, the maiden edition of the competition received overwhelming participation from students across the constituency.
“Last year we received a lot of applications from many students who took part in the competition,” he noted.
He added that the strong interest shown by students in the first edition has encouraged organizers to expand and strengthen the programme.
Mr. Aworigo said that for this year’s competition, Junior High School participants will write on the topic “How to Improve Sanitation in My Locality,” while Senior High School students will address discipline with the topic “The Rising Incidence of Student Indiscipline in Senior High Schools in Ghana.”
Participants in the Senior High School category are expected to write a letter to the Minister of Education proposing five practical measures that could help curb indiscipline in schools.
“This year’s essay competition asks students to write a letter to the Minister of Education discussing five measures that can help address the rising incidence of student indiscipline in our senior high schools,” he explained.
Mr. Aworigo said feedback from last year’s participants indicated significant improvement in students’ writing abilities and confidence.
“It was very good. We reviewed the feedback given to the participants, and some of them will take part again this year. That means they will improve and come back to do better than they did last year,” he said.
As part of activities marking the launch of the competition and the celebration of Ghana’s Independence Day, the MP, with support from several corporate organizations, donated items worth thousands of Ghana cedis to support students and schools.
The donations included GH¢30,000 worth of biscuits from CBL West Africa Limited, 25 boxes of sanitary pads from Sanda International to promote menstrual hygiene among schoolgirls, 200 boxes of soft drinks from Twellium Limited for students participating in marching parades, and quantities of milk from FrieslandCampina Ghana.
Mr. Aworigo particularly commended Twellium Ghana Limited for its consistent support for the essay competition initiative.
He said partnerships between the constituency and private sector organizations would help sustain the programme and expand opportunities for students.
The Independence Day celebration brought together students and teachers from various schools across the constituency, traditional and opinion leaders and other community stakeholders.
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