Holuta Aflakpe District Assembly (DA) Junior High School has emerged the winner of the 10th Ho West Basic School Annual Quiz Competition (BaSAQ-C), organised by the office of the Ho West MP, Emmanuel Bedzrah, with support from various stakeholders.

In a fiercely contested six-round final, Holuta Aflakpe DA JHS secured 37 points, beating Anfoeta Tsebi DA Junior High School, which took second place with 33 points.

The defending champions, Awudome Tsito Old Basic, placed third with 31 points, while King of Kings School Complex followed closely in fourth with 29 points.

By this victory, Holuta Aflakpe DA JHS holds the bragging rights as the best-performing basic school in the Ho West District—at least until the next edition of the competition.
Prizes and Rewards

The winning school was presented with a trophy, a double-door refrigerator, a laser printer, a digital projector, five laptops, five cartons of assorted library books, a one-terabyte hard drive, and a certificate of recognition.

The five student representatives also received 40 branded exercise books each, calculators, senior high school literature and mathematics textbooks, gold medals, and ₵2,000 in cash. In addition, they will embark on an educational trip to the Parliament of Ghana.

The Headmaster of Holuta Aflakpe DA JHS, Constance Yao Diekuma, expressed gratitude to the organisers and sponsors, noting that the school had invested time and resources in preparing for victory.

Transforming Education in Ho West

The Organising Committee disclosed that the competition, which began ten years ago, has significantly improved academic performance in the district. Since its inception, the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) pass rate has risen from 48.5% in 2014 to over 65% in 2022, with the district producing the Volta Region’s overall best BECE student in 2018.

Speaking after the event, Emmanuel Bedzrah, MP for Ho West, said the competition aligns with the broader objective of developing human capital in the district.

“The competition was instituted to motivate children—to let them know that the future is bright if they study hard,” he said.

Mr Bedzrah revealed that most past participants are now pursuing science, technology, and engineering programmes at the tertiary level, with some advancing to Master’s degrees.

Expansion Plans

Given the competition’s success, Mr Bedzrah announced plans to expand it beyond Ho West.

“I have spoken to my colleague MPs. From the 11th edition, which will also mark the 11th anniversary, we’ll introduce district-level BaSAQ competitions across the 17 districts of the Volta Region, followed by a regional BaSAQ to identify the best talent,” he said.

He further announced the launch of an ICT Boot Camp for about 100 students, including semi-finalists from this year’s contest. In partnership with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the camp will expose participants to coding and drone technology.
Stakeholder Support and Commitment

Mr Bedzrah expressed appreciation to the Ghana National Petroleum Authority, Exim Bank, Cyber Security Authority, Pencils of Promise, the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, and other sponsors for supporting the 10th edition.

Delivering a speech on behalf of the Volta Regional Minister, James Gunu, the Deputy Volta Regional Director of Education, Mrs Marian Jemima Akua Adzroe, commended the competition and urged students to seize the opportunity to become the best versions of themselves.

She reaffirmed the government’s commitment to educational equity through the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) policy and other reforms.

“We are working diligently to ensure that no child is left behind, regardless of geographical location, gender, or socio-economic background,” she stated.
Sustaining Educational Progress

The Ho West District Chief Executive, Prosper Francis Dussey, praised the initiative, highlighting how it has contributed to improving BECE results.

“In fact, the performance of our pupils was not encouraging. Some schools were scoring zero percent—that was what motivated Mr Bedzrah to start this programme,” he said.

“With current pass rates around 78%, we still have room for improvement, but the days ahead look promising. We will do more to ensure the objectives we have set are achieved,” he added.