The Anunmle Basic and Junior High School emerged winners of the maiden edition of the International Day of Forest Inter-schools Quiz Competition organised by the Forestry Commission under the auspices of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.
After an exciting competition among four schools: Anunmle Basic & JHS, Aggrey Basic School, Sackey Odoi Basic and Nii Okine Basic, Anunmle Basic & JHS, Anunmle Basic & JHS emerged winners after beating Aggrey Basic School in the final round of the competition.
The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, responsible for Lands and Forestry, Mr Benito Owusu-Bio, who made a statement at the event, said the United Nations General Assembly declared March 21 of every year as the International Day of Forests in a bid to protect forests worldwide and for many years, this global celebration has been creating awareness worldwide about the importance of forests and the various aspects that need to be looked at.
He observed that the United Nations’ selected theme for the commemoration, “Forests and Health,” asserts that forests offer ecosystem services such as food, fuelwood, medicinal plants, clean water and income, as well as clean air, all of which have a direct influence on human health and well-being.
He emphasized the importance of the quiz to the students, saying, as future leaders, we want to instil the culture of tree planting and forest conservation into the day-to-day activities of young people, adding that the quiz competition is also a way for students to have fun while learning more about the importance of forests to human health.
He said that the quiz, which was the first of its sort for first-cycle schools, would be continued and extended to other parts of the country in the coming years.
Mr John Allotey, CEO of the Forestry Commission, congratulated all competitors after the competition, saying he was impressed by their intellectual potential.
According to him, the purpose of the quiz competition was to get pupils in first and second-cycle schools interested in the battle against climate change and global warming so that future generations would have better environmental conditions.
The school received GHC5000, a crystal plaque and ten branded T-shirts, while the first runner-up received GHC4000, a crystal plaque, and ten branded T-shirts, the second runner-up received GHC3000, a crystal plaque and ten branded T-shirts, and the final school received GHC2000, a crystal plaque, and ten T-shirts. Apart from the overall rewards given to participating schools, each participant received branded books, a mathematics set, a bundle of pens, and T-shirts.
Irene Wirekoaa Osei, ISD
