For what it is worth, the National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ) deserves some honours for opening the hearts and minds of our young ones to something that was once seen as a myth.

If one were to weigh its pros and cons today, there is no doubt that the pros would carry the day. When some of us were in school over half a century ago, Science and Mathematics seemed a no-go area, especially for girls, a reason for which many drifted to the Arts. 

NSMQ has unwrapped some myths making one realise that those subjects are in reality everyone’s everyday subject. In fact, our day-to-day life is science encapsulated, from the kenkey one eats to the image of ourselves we see in the mirror.

Healthy competition

No wonder at a time when gloom and doom seem to have taken over our lives, one had cause to smile and even laugh hard especially with the finals of the NSMQ last Monday. One was glued to the television to follow the healthy competition, the buzz and suspense created by the competing schools which was sending pleasure and laughter in the spaces of old boys and girls from those schools.

Since the organisers, Primetime Limited announced they were rolling out their 13th programme to mark their 30 years in organising the quiz, the excitement brought schools across the country to moments of expectation. Preparations started in earnest.  

All eyes and ears have followed the preliminaries through to the quarter and semi-finals and the defining moment which one witnessed earlier this week. That moment saw the then reigning champions, Presbyterian Boys’ Senior High School (Presec), Legon lifting the coveted prize once again and for the eighth time. 

Right from the beginning, the tensions and anxieties for the competing schools and their old students never waned throughout. That nonetheless, succeeded in heightening some excitement for those of us who watched on.   

The NSMQ thirtieth anniversary quiz seems to have brought a lot more bubble and excitement. It generated healthy conversations on WhatsApp platforms, among old students for parents and teachers alike. 

It would not be too far-fetched to say that generally, this exciting quiz which has generated interest in Science and Mathematics in our schools has also helped demystify those once-upon-a-time hard nut subjects on our academic curriculum. I even learnt lately that the competition serves to advise parents when they come to select strong Science schools for their wards.

No doubt the NSMQ will go down in recent days as the most popular and educative quiz programme on air.

Healthy brand

Thirty years of keeping a brand healthy, alive and kicking is a big plus and an achievement to be proud of. It takes only a good and prospective brand to stand the odds and set hearts and minds alight even after three decades.

Yes, like all brands, NSMQ started brilliantly as Brillant Science and Maths Quiz christened after its then-lead sponsor, Brillant Soap. It suffered some hip dislocations over time when sponsors were not forthcoming.

With perseverance, however, the organisers saw through the potential of the brand. They had it rebranded and successfully resuscitated. And today, here we are with an energised NSMQ making waves, thanks to some of Ghana’s big corporate organisations as well as the Ministry of Education. That is the way to go.

The role of Primetime Limited, in using the NSMQ to demystify Science and Mathematics in schools across the country is commendable. With so much interest created for Science and Maths education, it is now left to our educators to focus on how to align the theories propounded to everyday life and practice.

Not until the Science and Technology taught in schools are applied in industry and employed in the simple things of everyday life, we stand not to benefit fully from them. 

What the nation needs desperately today is how the theories taught or learnt are aligned to industry to create acceleration in development. We need the practical application of science and technology in industry, manufacturing, farming, mining and what have you.

Definitely, our shift of focus to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education is in the right direction. It should not just remain knowledge acquisition only but rather, STEM education should bring home to our children the need for hands-on application of knowledge to solve the many challenges that confront us.

For example, our STEM students should be exposed pretty early in their education to the industrial application of what they have been taught. They should be given opportunities for attachments or regular internships with industries to practicalise the learnings from school.

The NSMQ is a good pointer to our educators and industry. It needs to be encouraged beyond 30 years of existence.

Writer’s email: vickywirekoandoh@yahoo.com