One of the objectives of the National Science & Maths Quiz is to keep old students still interested in their schools and encourage them to offer help to their alma mater. For the past decade, a number of the schools that participate in the NSMQ have benefited from the benevolence of their alumni, either in kind or in cash.
In 2018, the association of past students of Bolgatanga SHS in the Upper East Region donated some cash and academic materials worth about GH₵26,000 to the school to prepare the NSMQ contestants for the 2018 edition of the NSMQ. In like manner, the 1989 old students of Osei Kyeretwie SHS in the Ashanti Region donated four laptops to the NSMQ team to aid their preparation for the competition. For winning their Regional Qualifier contest in the Upper West Region, Wa SHS received a multipurpose television from the 1998 batch of students, to encourage the contestants to reach higher heights.
These are, but a few of the generous acts schools have benefited from their old students. However, one that piqued our interest in the 2021 edition was the bus donation to the Swedru SHS NSMQ team.
A member of the 1975 batch of Swedru SHS, Madam Esther Hanson, donated an NSMQ branded Toyota minibus to the NSMQ team to aid their mobility, as well as motivate them to bring the coveted NSMQ trophy home. More interesting was the fact that the first time the bus was used was when the Swedru SHS NSMQ team was travelling to the Ashanti Region for the National Championship.
Even though Swedru SHS was unable to win the competition, this act of kindness, according to their NSMQ coordinator, Mr. Richard Havor, encouraged the team immensely to give of their best at the National Championship. As reported by Mr. Havor, the bus injected some form of confidence in his team, and this was evident from their gallant strides as they got off their van when they arrived in camp. Mr. Havor believes that they would do better next year, knowing that there are people out there who care about the well-being of the NSMQ team.
Swedru SHS won their One-eighth Stage contest against Armed Forces SHTS and Tamale Islamic Science SHS to get seeded for the first time in the history of the NSMQ, and this feat could be attributed to the generosity of Madam Hanson.
These acts of kindness by various alumni have gone a long way in helping their NSMQ teams to attain higher feats at the National Championship, and we appreciate all those who have gone out of their ways to assist their alma maters in one way or the other.
