President John Mahama and former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will have more than a passing interest in this afternoon’s NSMQ Northern Zonal Final, their former schools, Ghana SHS and Tamale SHS, are going head-to-head for the 2025 zonal crown in Tamale.

Defending champions Ghana SHS (GHANASCO), where President Mahama studied, are back in the final to defend their title after a turbulent start to their campaign.

They are joined by Tamale SHS (TAMASCO), alma mater of Dr. Bawumia, and Tamale Islamic Science SHS, 2022 champions, who return to the big stage as the best-performing losing semifinalist.

The highly anticipated contest takes place this afternoon at Tamale SHS, and the academic tension is already building across the region.

Tamale SHS joined this year’s zonals as a seeded school and made a bold statement in the semifinals, topping their group with 34 points.

They finished ahead of St. Charles Minor Seminary SHS (31pts), Bolgatanga SHS (24pts), and T.I. AMASS, Salaga (13pts) to earn a semi final appearance in yesterday’s contest. While they secured 61 points against Bolgatanga SHS who had 25 points and Nanfom SHS (22) to set up a home final.

Ghana SHS, the current zonal champions, were nearly out of this year’s competition until they were recalled to replace Sakogu SHS, who withdrew from the North East qualifiers. They have since turned their luck into opportunity, powering through the semifinals to set up a potential title defense.

Tamale Islamic Science SHS, who won the zonal title in 2022, missed out on a direct qualification to the final but advanced with 27 points, the highest score among the losing semifinalists.

This afternoon’s final is more than just an academic showdown. It carries political undertones, with two of Ghana’s most prominent leaders represented through their former schools.

A win for Ghana SHS would be a successful title defense and a validation of their comeback story. A victory for Tamale SHS, on their own campus, would mark a powerful resurgence. Islamic Science SHS, on the other hand, have a score to settle and history to repeat