After four days of competition among over 50 schools across Volta and Oti regions, 21 schools have successfully qualified to the nationals of the 2024 National Science and Math Quiz, as well as compete for the Volta-Oti zonal trophy in the GOIL PLC Regional Championships.

They include three seeded schools; Keta Senior High Technical School (KETASCO), Mawuli School – Ho, and Bishop Herman College (BIHECO) from Kpando. The rest are 16 schools who gained slots from the two regional qualifiers, and two private schools; Wallas Academy and Sonrise Senior High School.

QUARTERFINALS Unlike other regional championships which have just two stages to determine the winner, the Volta-Oti Zonal championship comes in three stages; quarter, semis, and a grand finale because of the large number of qualified schools.

There are six separate contests in the quarter finals happening on Friday and Saturday.

Read more: NSMQ2024: St. Louis SHS defeats KUMACA in late comeback, progresses to semis

The first contest features 2021 zonal runners-up and national quarter finalist Sogakope Senior High School (SOGASCO), joint top-scorer from the regional qualifiers on 75 points, Zion College (ZICO), Adidome Senior High School (ADISEC), and two times zonal runners-up Sonrise Senior High School.

The other joint top-scorer Kpando Senior High School (KPANSEC) will take on Hohoe E.P. SHS, Bueman SHS, and Kpedze SHS in the second contest of the day. The third, will feature defending zonal champions Mawuli School – Ho, who takes on Anlo SHS (ANSECO), St. Mary’s Seminary SHS, and Tsito SHTS.

For the fourth contest, a second seeded school who are also 2023 zonal runners-up, Bishop Herman College, will face competition from the only girls’ school to have qualified to represent the Volta and Oti regions at the nationals this year, E.P.C. Mawuko Girls’ SHS, and Biakoye Community SHTS.

In the fifth contest for Friday, St. Paul’s SHS (SPACO) will compete with new entrants into the national championship, Battor SHS, and Awudome Senior High School.

The sixth and final contest of the zonal quarterfinal will kick-start competitions on Saturday with 2021 zonal champions and national finalist, Keta SHTS (KETASCO) battling it out with 2021 and 2022 zonal finalist Sonrise Senior High School, and Kadjebi Asato SHS for a slot in the semis.

SEMIFINAL

All six winners from the quarterfinal contests together with any possible second placed school who scores 40 points and above, will book a place in the semifinal. The grand finale will feature winners from the two semifinal competitions, and a top-scoring school from the two contests, for a three-team battle.

Everything will be at stake for Mawuli School who are looking forward to defending their trophy and a bragging right as the first school to win the zonal trophy twice, and in a row.

While Ketasco and Biheco look forward to lifting the trophy to seal a second, Sonrise will is enthusiastic of winning it this time to compensate for their two times attempt in the finals in 2021 and 2022.

By dusk of Saturday, water would have found its level, and the battle for a new zonal champion of the GOIL PLC Regional Championship would have been found for the Volta-Oti zone.