The Regional Qualifiers of the 2021 edition of the National Science & Maths Quiz are underway. With schools competing for qualification slots across the country, here’s a rundown of the contests that took place on Day One (3rd May, 2021) in the Greater Accra Region.
Contest One
In the very first contest for the Region, Holy Trinity Cathedral SHS (HOTCASS) sailed through albeit early resistance from Ada SHTS. At the end of the first round, both Ada SHTS and HOTCASS had accumulated 15 points each, with Teshie Presby SHS trailing behind with 3 points. After two rounds, Teshie Presby lost their accrued points to end the second round with zero points. HOTCASS, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief as they ended the second round with 25 points, seven points ahead of Ada SHTS’s 18 points.
HOTCASS widened their lead in the third round with a 10-point margin over Ada SHTS, with Teshie Presby reclaiming 7 points. HOTCASS sealed their victory in the final round by answering two riddles correctly to end the contest with 41 points.
Contest Two
One-time finalists – West Africa SHS (WASS) – secured their place in the NSMQ 2021 National Championship with a late comeback versus Tema Sec Sch (TEMASCO). WASS started the contest strongly, leading the pack with 22 points and followed closely by TEMASCO with 19 points, Kinbu SHTS with 18 points and Presby SHS – Osu with 15 points. In the second round, WASS held on to their slender lead with 30 points, with TEMASCO on their heels with 26 points, followed by Kinbu SHTS and Osu Presby with 23 and 20 points respectively. TEMASCO finished the third round in first place with 36 points, with previous leaders WASS only two points behind them. Kinbu SHTS were determined to upstage both TEMASCO and WASS with 30 points, leaving Osu Presby to finish the third round with 24 points.
The contest was decided in the final round when WASS answered two riddles correctly to overturn TEMASCO’s late lead to win the contest with a single point difference!
Contest Three
Our Lady of Mercy SHS (OLAM SHS) were no match for their competition and thus breezed through the contest, leading from beginning to end. It was apparent to Accra High School and Nungua SHS that OLAM SHS had come prepared when the latter finished the first round with 21 points, as opposed to Accra High’s 12 points and Nungua SHS’s 11 points. In the second round, OLAM SHS accrued four additional points after a succession of wrong speed race attempts, while Accra High gained six points for their attempts with Nungua SHS losing points to attain 9 points at the end of the round. The last two rounds progressed leisurely, with OLAM continuing their dominance to end the contest with 44 points. Accra High School accrued 22 points, with Nungua SHS finishing the contest with 16 points.
Contest Four
The last contest for the day was an “easy” win for Tema Methodist SHS, who also scored the highest points for the day in the Greater Accra Region. At the end of Round 1, Ngleshie Amanfrom SHS started the contest as leaders with 15 points, with Tema Methodist SHS following closely behind with 14 points. Ebenezer SHS and Kpone Community SHS followed closely with 13 and 12 points respectively, leaving Forces SHTS in the dust with a single point. At the end of Round 2 however, Tema Methodist overtook Ngleshie Amanfrom SHS and finished the round with 27 points, with Ngleshie
Aside from qualifying for the National Championship later this year, the qualified schools have immediate glory to look forward to. The NSMQ journey continues for the winning schools on Wednesday 5th May, 2021 with the Greater Accra Regional Championship, where the day’s four winners will face off the region’s four seeded schools and winners from Day 2 in the Greater Accra Region.
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The NSMQ 2021 Regional Qualifiers takes place from 3rd May – 3rd June, 2021. Updates on all contests will be on the official NSMQ Ghana Facebook, Instagram and Twitter platforms.
