The Central Regional Culture Coordinator, Wisdom Adomina, has urged students to uphold Ghanaian cultural values and show respect for the elderly when expressing their views in public.

He said young people had the freedom to share their opinions on national issues but should be mindful of cultural expectations and use appropriate language when addressing older people.

Mr Adomina made the remarks at the 7th edition of the Central Regional National Public Speaking Competition for Senior High School students, held at Mfantsiman Girls Senior High School in Saltpond.

His comments come amid public debate over freedom of expression and reports of arrests linked to public comments and activities.

He stressed the need for students to learn how to communicate their views confidently while remaining conscious of Ghanaian cultural values.

“These days, they have been given the free will to share ideas, to talk on national issues. So whenever it comes this way, first, we shouldn’t forget about our culture. If you are talking to the elderly, you have to know the type of language, the words that you’re supposed to come out with,” he said.

Mr Adomina said such cultural considerations should form part of how young people are taught to exercise their freedom of expression, particularly when engaging older people in public discussions.

Competition seeks to improve public speaking skills

Speaking on behalf of the organisers, Mr Adomina expressed concern about what he described as declining public-speaking and critical-thinking skills among young people, attributing the challenge partly to increased reliance on social media.

He said some students struggled to express their ideas clearly, think critically about national issues and propose practical solutions to the country’s challenges.

The competition, he explained, was designed to strengthen students’ critical-thinking abilities, improve their articulation and build confidence in public communication.

“They find it difficult because of the use of social media. Some of them even like speaking in English. So, because of that, whenever there is an issue, they find it difficult to share ideas, to think deeply, and then come out with concrete solutions for challenges affecting people in this particular country,” he said.

Mr Adomina also acknowledged organisational lapses in previous editions of the competition and called for greater stakeholder involvement in planning future events.

He said the Ghana Education Service and other relevant stakeholders should be involved from the planning stage to ensure clarity on their roles and effective contributions to the programme.

He added that the challenges identified would be reviewed and addressed ahead of subsequent editions.

Three schools advance to next stage

Twelve schools participated in the competition, with three emerging winners in their respective contests to represent the Central Region at the next stage.

Swedru Senior High School won the first contest, defeating Breman Asikuma Senior High School by three points.

Assin Manso Senior High School emerged winner in the second contest after another closely fought round.

St Gregory Catholic Senior High School in Buduburam secured the final slot after beating host school Mfantsiman Girls Senior High School and Gomoa Senior High and Technical School.

Following the competition, Emmanuella Ansongma Owusu of St Gregory Catholic Senior High School said her school was determined to give its best in the subsequent rounds.

Samson Kofi Ofosu of Assin Manso Senior High School urged young people to take a more active role in national dialogue to draw attention to issues requiring government action.

Janice Akosua Agyapong of Swedru Senior High School encouraged her peers to participate in public-speaking competitions to build confidence, broaden their knowledge and gain exposure to academic and career opportunities.