Kumasi, Ashanti Region: KNUST Senior High School (KNUST SHS), Opoku Ware School (OWASS) and host school Yaa Asantewaa Girls’ Senior High School (YAGSS) have emerged winners of the three contests held in the Ashanti Region as part of the 7th edition of the National Public Speaking Competition (NPSC).
The three schools have secured places at the national stage following their respective victories in the preliminary contests and say they are ready to give their best in the next round, with the ultimate aim of bringing the trophy to the Ashanti Region.
The 2026 competition, also known as the Speaking/Speech Festival, is being held on the theme: “Stolen Futures: Drug and Substance Abuse Among Adolescents.” The initiative seeks to empower young people to use public speaking as a platform to discuss societal challenges and propose practical alternative solutions.
The Ashanti Regional contest was held at Yaa Asantewaa Girls’ Senior High School, with 12 schools competing in three separate contests.
Contest One featured KNUST SHS, T.I. Ahmadiyya Senior High School, Prempeh College and Kumasi Anglican Senior High School.
Contest Two brought together Jachie Pramso SHS, Serwaa Nyarko SHS, Opoku Ware SHS and Kumasi Girls SHS.
Contest Three featured Osei Tutu SHS, Kumasi High School, Yaa Asantewaa Girls SHS and St. Louis SHS.
KNUST SHS confident ahead of national stage
Representing KNUST SHS in the first contest, Ernestina Owusu and Augustina Sekyere described the experience as educational and said they were confident about their chances at the next stage.
Ernestina said the competition offered more than just a contest, stressing that the lessons gained would help them prepare for the national stage.
“The experience from today was very educative; it wasn’t just a competition. For the next stage, I believe that when we give our best, we can win the ultimate, just like we won today,” she said.
OWASS relies on preparation
Representatives of Opoku Ware SHS, Paul Gyamfi and Prince Adjei, who won the second contest, said they initially felt nervous because it was their first participation in the competition.
They, however, said their preparation had given them confidence ahead of the national stage.
Prince said:
“We’re fully prepared. Whenever they ask us for any other contest, we’re prepared, because we believe preparation is the key to everything and practice makes perfect. That’s what OWASS is known for.”
YAGSS ready to defend home victory
For host school Yaa Asantewaa Girls SHS, Akosua Addo and Esther Sarfo said the pressure of competing was evident, but their preparation helped them overcome the nerves.
Esther explained that despite the anxiety that came with the contest, they remained focused and delivered what they had prepared.
“It’s a natural feeling where you have your palms sweating, your head is aching and you’re asking yourself whether you’ll be able to do it. We were able to. We’re very prepared, and if we’re able to win this, then at the next stage we’re going to strive to win it just like we did for this win,” she said.
Organiser calls for government funding
Meanwhile, Regional Cultural Coordinator and event organiser Samuel Atta has appealed to the government to provide a dedicated budgetary allocation for the National Public Speaking Competition to improve its organisation and provide better support for participating students.
He said inadequate funding affected some aspects of the programme, including provisions for students who travelled to participate in the regional contest.
“The government should send funds and include a budgetary allocation for this programme so that we can also organise it well. The children came here since morning; we should have given them some food, but the budgetary allocation is small,” Samuel Atta said.
He described the competition as an important educational and solution-oriented initiative that prepares young people to engage constructively with national and societal issues.
According to him, public speaking can help students develop the confidence and skills needed to address challenges and propose solutions rather than merely criticising authorities.
“It’s a very nice programme because it is preparing the children for the future. Public speaking is a way of training the children to know how to address issues of concern,” he noted.
Competition seeks to build future leaders
The National Public Speaking Competition is organised by DeeDee Global in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and under the patronage of the Speaker of Parliament.
The annual competition is aimed at promoting patriotism, creativity, critical thinking and national development among young people.
It also seeks to strengthen students’ verbal and non-verbal communication skills, confidence in addressing public audiences, leadership abilities and capacity to analyse societal issues and develop alternative solutions.
With KNUST SHS, Opoku Ware SHS and Yaa Asantewaa Girls SHS securing victories in the Ashanti Region, the three schools will now represent the region at the national stage of the 2026 competition.
