Twenty-two senior high schools in the Ashanti Region have qualified for the quarterfinals of the ACE Spoken Word Contest, following a keenly contested zonal stage held at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

The competition, which tests students’ oratory, poetry and critical thinking skills, saw 18 schools emerge as outright winners at the zonal level. They will be joined by three high-scoring schools that narrowly lost their contests, along with one additional school that recorded a higher score than the three, bringing the total number of qualifiers to 22.

In all, 45 public and private senior high schools participated in the three-day inter-schools contest, which featured performances across nine zones, with three contests held each day.

The ACE Spoken Word Contest in the Ashanti Region is being organised in four phases — the inter-school contest, quarterfinals, semifinals and finals — with the next stage scheduled for February.

The annual competition is organised by ACE Consult in partnership with the U.S. Embassy, with the aim of building students’ confidence, assertiveness and communication skills, while encouraging strong performance under pressure.

Executive Director of ACE Consult and American Corner Kumasi, Marilyn Owusu, said the initiative was introduced in 2024 after identifying a gap in students’ ability to confidently express their ideas.

“We realised that most Ghanaian students are very soft-spoken. You can tell they are intelligent and capable, but expressing themselves becomes an issue,” she said.

“So, in 2024, we decided not just to focus on helping students look for schools in the U.S., but to build their capacity — to help them become eloquent critical thinkers who can think, write and perform on the spot.”

The schools that qualified for the quarterfinals include SDA SHS Bekwai, Armed Forces SHTS, Oasis Christian Academy, KNUST SHS, St Joseph Seminary SHS, Bosomtwe Boys STEM, T.I. Ahmadiyya SHS, Kumasi High School, Kumasi Academy, Anglican SHS Kumasi, Obuasi Secondary Technical School, Osei Tutu SHS, Our Lady of Grace SHS and Kumasi Girls SHS.

Others are The Ridge School, Sakafia Islamic SHS, Afua Kobi Ampem SHS, Oppong Memorial SHS, St Louis SHS, Tweneboa Kodua SHS, Asanteman SHS and Yaa Asantewaa Girls SHS.

Mrs Owusu said the impact of the contest is already evident, noting a significant increase in participation compared to its maiden edition.

“The contest started with about 17 public schools in Kumasi. This year, we have recorded massive growth, with 45 public and private schools taking part,” she said.

She also announced that a similar ACE Spoken Word Contest will be held in Accra in February, adding that organisers are hopeful of expanding the initiative to other regions in the coming year.

“We are inviting all schools in the Ashanti Region to register and join. You don’t pay anything — you actually gain,” she noted.

Beyond performance skills, the contest also offers students the opportunity to receive guidance on international education and scholarships in the United States.