Promasidor, NCCE launch Cowbellpedia

Cowbellpedia, a quiz competition aimed at promoting the reading and studying of the 1992 constitution among Junior High School and Senior High School students has been launched in Accra.

Organised by Promasidor Ghana Limited (producers of Cowbell) and the National Commission of Civic Education, the quiz will feature over 200 JHS's and 14 SHS's competing for over GHC 15,000 in cash prizes and souvenirs for the winners.

In an address before launching the competition at the Odorgonno Senior High School last Monday (June 11), Mr Johnson Opoku, the Director of Programmes at the NCCE stressed the need for the youth to know their rights and obligations as enshrined in the 1992 constitution.

He said such quiz competitions must also be encouraged because it helps parents and teachers to identify and guide the personalities of their growing children.

He said: "Through quiz competitions, children learn to cope with stress, they also learn important national and cultural values such as sportsmanship".

In an interview, the Brands Manager of Cowbell, Joseph Ashong said his outfit has invested $100,000 in the project because when students are empowered, the country will be a safer place to live in.

“Cowbellpedia will enhance the on-going efforts to educate the populace on many issues of national interest from local government to the executive. It is also to promote the teaching and learning of the 1992 constitution of Ghana amongst the participating schools so that the students and pupils can know and understand their civic rights as well as laws guiding it,” he said.

Mr Ashong explained that currently Cowbellpedia was only being run in Accra but it will be expanded to five regions by 2020.

“This year, we are actually recruiting Ashanti Region and some parts of Brong Ahafo Region. We are starting with a modest number of schools who have agreed to participate and they are going to start theirs in September so we are hoping that in October when we get to the finals of this particular competition started in Accra, they will also be getting closer to the finals” Ashong noted.

Since 2014, the Cowbellpedia competition formerly known as Cowbell NCCE Constitution Quiz has been running in the Ga Central Municipal Assembly with over 150,000 students participating as of 2017.

Cowbellpedia will happen in four stages at different locations. The preliminary stage will take place at some selected schools within each zone with an average of six (6) schools to compete for the first and second place to move to the quarterfinals stage.

The quarterfinals stage shall consist of 12 groups of six (6) schools in each group, where again the first and second schools from each will then move to the semifinal stage.

The semifinals shall consist of six (6) groups of an average of four (4) schools per group and here, it is only the first school shall proceed to the finals.

The finals shall have six (6) schools coming to compete for the ultimate prize of GH?10, 000 in cash, products and souvenirs.