The General Manager of Channel One TV and Citi FM, Bernard Avle, has urged participants in the 2026 Literacy Challenge to write their essays without relying on artificial intelligence, underscoring the essence of the competition which is designed to develop critical thinking, creativity and confidence among young people.
Speaking at the launch of the 2026 edition of the Literacy Challenge on Thursday, July 2, Mr Avle urged contestants to understand the topic, think critically, and develop their own proposals that could be useful to the Ministry of Education, seeking guidance from parents where necessary, rather than relying on artificial intelligence tools.
“Don’t use AI to tell you how to use AI,” he advised. “AI will only give you AI answers. It is very important that you write this yourself, discuss it with people and own the essay, because there’s a way we can tell if what you wrote is yours or not.”
According to him, the Literacy Challenge is not solely about winning prizes but about nurturing teamwork, empathy, collaboration and independent thinking qualities he described as essential for success in today’s world.
“The challenge builds confidence and experience. Competition itself is valuable. The best learning happens in unstructured environments, where you work with people from different schools and learn from one another,” he said.
He further commended the sponsors for coming on board and supporting the successful delivery of the programme.
This year’s essay competition requires participants to write, in not less than 600 words, a letter to the Minister of Education discussing the advantages and disadvantages of the use of artificial intelligence in education and recommending how Ghana can integrate AI into basic schools while ensuring students in rural and underserved communities are not left behind.
The competition will progress through an essay stage, a written aptitude test and a final quiz competition. The overall winner will receive GHS10,000 and a laptop, while entries must be submitted by July 20, 2026, either by post to P.O. Box GP 14123, Accra Central, or delivered to the Channel One TV premises at Tesano, Accra.
The 2026 Literacy Challenge is powered by Channel One TV and Citi FM and is sponsored by Prospectus Ghana Limited, SIC Insurance and Advocate Publishing.
