The growing impact of the Sunyani Adolescents Parliament under the Resilient City for Adolescents (RCA) Project is beginning to reshape student leadership and civic engagement across the Bono Region, as more Senior High Schools take an interest in adopting the model to help young people speak up, build confidence, and contribute to their communities.
A major milestone has been recorded at Sacred Heart Senior High School (SAHESS) in Nsoatre, which has officially inaugurated the first-ever Students Parliament at the Senior High School level in the Bono Region, a historic step for student leadership, democratic participation, and civic responsibility.
The initiative was conceived by Master Edmond Osei Kwadwo, Senior Prefect of SAHESS and a Senior Clerk of the Sunyani Adolescents Parliament, and is designed to give students a structured platform to take part in decision-making and advocate for issues affecting student welfare. It is expected to promote democratic values, enhance leadership and public speaking skills, foster dialogue between students and school authorities, and nurture a generation of responsible future leaders.
The inauguration ceremony brought together the Speaker and members of the Sunyani Adolescents Parliament, representatives of the Sunyani Technical University SRC Parliament, SAHESS management, and students from sister schools. The event was chaired by Mr. Raphael Godlove Ahenu, Chief Executive Officer of Global Media Foundation (GLOMEF Ghana), who commended the school's leadership for creating a platform that strengthens students' democratic rights.
He cautioned students to use the platform responsibly: "The parliament should not be used for personal interests or divisions but rather as a tool to promote discipline, academic excellence, leadership and positive behavioural change among students." He further encouraged students to use the platform to champion positive behaviour and academic performance.
The event also featured student-led presentations from Notre Dame Senior High School and SAHESS on sanitation management and digital tools for entrepreneurship, along with a panel discussion on "The Role of Students in the Utilisation of Social Media" involving representatives from Berekum SHS, Sacred Heart SHS, and Notre Dame SHS.
A key highlight was the swearing-in of Master Edmond Osei Kwadwo as Speaker of the SAHESS Students Parliament by Mr. Ahenu, followed by the formal inauguration of Members of Parliament. In his closing remarks, Mr. Ahenu reaffirmed GLOMEF's commitment to support and scale the initiative as a model framework for other schools across the Bono Region and Ghana.
Story by Edmond Gyebi. Photos by Kelvin Acheampong.
