As part of this year’s Commonwealth Day, Parliament of Ghana in collaboration with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) on Monday held a debate among selected Students’ Parliament in selected tertiary institutions at the National Theatre in Accra.
The event organized under the auspices of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Secretariat was under the theme “Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming”, had Accra based private tertiary institution, Central University College of Ghana (CUCG), emerged winners of the debate titled “Ghana Beyond Aid: An Attainable Feat or a Political Slogan?”
The University attained a total of 346.5 points to surpass the University of Ghana, Legon who placed second with 345.5 points to win the bronze medal and the silver medalists, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) with 336.5 points.
Meanwhile, the University of Cape Coast came fourth with 292 points while Agogo Presbyterian University College and Abetifi Presbyterian University College placed fifth and sixth positions respectively with 284 and 265 points.
The winning institution, Central University College also received a cash prize of Eight hundred Ghana cedis (GHS 800.00) while the University of Ghana and KNUST received cash prizes of six hundred Ghana cedis (600.00) and five hundred Ghana cedis (500.00) respectively.
The Director of Public Affairs of Parliament, Kate Addo, disclosed that the six participating institutions reached the finals of the contest after emerging victorious through a series of preliminary qualifying rounds among twenty accredited established and emerging tertiary institutions nationwide.
She, however, expressed disappointment over the performance of members of the Students’ Parliament institutions, who failed to qualify for the final contest.
The Guest of Honour, Joseph Osei Owusu, the First Deputy Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament and the Member of Parliament for Bekwai Constituency in Ashanti Region, read the Queen’s Throne Speech, the Commonwealth Day message to the young parliamentarians at exactly twelve noon.
He admonished the students to ensure that integrity precedes whatever they do in life and to strive to be loyal to the nation when they are placed in positions to serve the country.
The Bekwai MP further sounded a caution to the young parliamentarians not to be partisan since the Youth Parliament was not an elected one and that, they did not represent anybody.
He, again, urged all Ghanaians to be responsible to protect the country’s parliamentary democracy as we all owe posterity to discharge national duty faithfully.
The Director of Research of Parliament, Mr. Mohammed Nyagsi, Mr. Ebenezer A. Djietror, a Principal Assistant Clerk at the Table Office and the Deputy Director of Finance Mr. William Kafui Asem took turns to educate the young student parliamentarians on parliamentary rules, practices, behaviors and procedures.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com
