The 2019 edition of the National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ) was launched in Accra on Tuesday, with a total of 135 secondary schools competing for the championship.
Out of these schools, 108 qualified through the regional competition, which was held from March to May, to join the 27 finalists in the previous edition.
The preliminaries come off between June 17 and 22.
St Peter’s Senior High School would go into the competition as the reigning champions, after beating West Africa Senior High School and Adisadel College in the finals of the 2018 edition.
The NSMQ is being organised by Primetime Ghana Limited and other development partners, to promote the study of science and mathematics in senior high schools in order to equip them with scientific minds, while fostering healthy academic rivalry among schools.
The Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in charge of Quality and Access, Dr Kwabena Bempah Tandoh, who launched the competition, identified it as a means to promote the study of science and mathematics and to also help the young minds alter the future of the nation.
“The competition has since been dominated by male schools, with Achimota School, being the only mixed school to win. It’s important that we focus on encouraging science among our young women,” Dr Kwabena Tandoh said.
He however noted that, as part of the government’s interest in promoting science and technology in women, the GES would introduce a coding technology for girls at the basic level.
The Managing Director of Primetime, Mrs Nana Akua Ankomah-Asare, assured quality competition in this edition from the competitive posture of the schools in the regional competition.
Mrs Ankomah-Asare implored the students to fully participate in all of the activities that were tailor-made for them in unearthing their inborn potentials.
She admonished the competing schools to bring out their best performance in the competition, and urged the reigning champions, St Peter’s Senior High School, to strive to defend the title.
The Director of Science, Technology and Innovation at the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Ms Adelaide Asante, said her outfit considers NSMQ as one of the effective strategic programmes in helping to develop Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) capabilities of the country.
She also pledged her ministry’s support for the NSMQ, as the competition continues to whip up the interest of Ghanaians in Science and Mathematics.
The main quiz mistress of the NSMQ, Dr Elsie Effah Kaufmann, in an interview with the Ghanaian Times, expressed optimism in the upcoming competition, and urged the students to work hard in earning deserved points in the competition.
The Deputy Director-General of GES in charge of Quality and Access, Dr Kwabena Bempah Tandoh, launched the competition on behalf of the Director General of the GES, Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa.
A new NSMQ trophy was also unveiled for the competition.
BY DAVID NYANOR TAKYI
