National Maths, Science quiz launched
The 2017 National Maths and Science Quiz competition has been launched in Accra last week with a call on the government to pay more attention to science education in Ghana.
22nd edition
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The 2017 NSMQ is the 22nd edition since its inception in 1993. The competition brings together science students from various senior high schools (SHSs) across the country to compete by answering questions based on maths and science.
At the launch, the Managing Director (MD) of Primetime Limited, the originators and producers of the NSMQ, Mrs Nana Akua Ankomah-Asare, said the programme had been very successful over the past 24 years and expressed the hope that this year would not be an exception but better than it had always been.
“We are hoping it is getting bigger and better, and bigger I mean; we wish to extend it to other African countries though we are still working on that. I believe something great will come out of the competition,” she said.
Mrs Ankomah-Asare added that her organisation was committed to the show and had added new outlines to the programme such as a science fair that would allow the students to display their works; a mentorship session, where the students would be motivated and mentored by people on the technology field, excursions and a special awards ceremony.
“A lot will be done this year to celebrate 22 years of success and we hope to get more sponsors on board, and plead with government to invest more in our science labs in the senior high schools,” she noted.
Promote science
The Director of the ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Miss Adelaide Asante, said, “Science as basics for everything is really what takes the nation forward.’’
She also asked for the promotion of science to a higher level in order to increase the interest and enthusiasm of students as well as provide valuable information on careers and studies.
The Director of Science Education Unit of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr Andrews Kwabena Quaining, congratulated Primetime on such an initiative, as it had helped whip up enthusiasm in the study of science and mathematics at the SHS level.
He advised that “we support and encourage science, since technology has taken over the world as a whole.”
Competing schools
The Chairman of Primetime, Mr Kweku Bonsu, in his address, mentioned that many contestants had moved on after participating in the competition to pursue further studies in the sciences thus consequently contributing to the development of Ghana.
“This year 108 schools from the 10 regions in Ghana will be competing against one another and we hope the best school wins at the end of the day,” he said.