[Dartey's lens] National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ): The battle for supremacy

The National Science and Maths Quiz is inarguably one of the best running educational programs in Ghana, and one cannot override the excitement and euphoria that it postulates throughout the nation. The exposure it gives to the contestants is very enormous.

The contesting students go the extra mile to cover the syllabi in an attempt to emerge victorious, something they may not have done ordinarily.

With a large followership, due to the extension of its base, covering every senior high school offering general science program, it has become the most participated inter-schools quiz competition in Ghana. Within this period, every individual whose school is part of the final 135 will have few words to share on the possible chances of his or her school. Amazingly, the debate never stops until the competition is over with the winning school continuing with the bragging right.
It perhaps, evokes the feeling Mr. Kwaku Mensa-Bonsu had after he had gotten an explanation of his thought of ‘why a bird could perch on a live electric cable without being electrocuted while human beings have direct opposite reaction’.
"There should be a competition to unravel such thought provoking questions", he suggested to his colleagues who were on the same wavelength with him.

The competition has really been transformed within these few years. Initially, only 32 schools; 16 each from the southern and the northern zones contested. The winners of the two zones met at the finals. From the days of two schools on stage, the use of traditional microphone, bicycle bell for the timekeeper, the contest has stood the test of time, and it's so amazing to see a seed planted on a tennis court, germinate and grow to this stage.

Mr. Kwaku Mensa-Bonsu and his colleagues did not think of themselves of what they will get, but for posterity - selfless beings! The changes underwent by the production of the competition were legitimate and time bound. The recent inclusion of the substitution makes it more interesting. Schools may reserve some players for penalty shoots. One thing that is sure of all these is that, the competition gives an equal opportunity to every school, of science background, to prove to the nation what they've got.

In the very near future, the competition should also look at the students competing. They put in a lot, as it were, to put their schools on the map again. What about their own results? The competition comes after WASSCE is written. A lot is achieved by the students going into the tournament which has a huge potential of changing their results. the production team should look at how possible the competition   could be conducted before the WASSCE is written so to boost the confidence of the contesting candidates and to elevate their results.

That notwithstanding, so long as the competition comes our way, the loving and teaming supporters of the NSMQ from across the country and beyond, will always be delighted to see students battle for supremacy.
Long live NSMQ competition.

By: Richard Dartey Mawunyo.
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