The maiden edition of a National Science and Mathematics quiz for pupils in the Catholic Junior High Schools has been launched in Accra.
The competition dubbed “Brain Battle Quiz” (BBQ) seeks to bring pupils in the Catholic Junior High Schools and some private schools together through healthy competition in the disciplines of Science, Mathematics and Technology.
It also seeks to educate through edutainment while stimulating interest in these areas for national development.
The competition organised by the National Catholic Secretariat Education Directorate in collaboration with Cocktail Media is expected to have 120 pupils from across the erstwhile ten regions participating for the ultimate honours of GHȼ10,000.00 and a trip to China.
Launching the competition on in Accra, Archbishop John Bonaventure Kwofie, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra and the Bishop in charge of Catholic Education in Ghana, said the church had over the years contributed immensely to the development of human capital through its various educational institutions and policies.
He said the introduction of a national quiz for pupils in the Catholic basic schools across the country was the Church’s commitment in ensuring that it delivered its quota to the development of the nation.
“The introduction of the BBQ is not just the birth of a project but the materialization of a vision that will impact the very foundations of Science, Mathematics and Technology education in Ghana.”
“With the inclusion of a practical round and applied mathematics concepts, the creative potential of our children will be unlocked and it will empower them to become great scientists who will use the principles of science to engineer products and solve community problems,” he added.
The Archbishop implored the pupils to aspire for excellence by adopting creative skills and confidence that would ensure that they succeeded in the competition and beyond.
He also called on corporate Ghana, philanthropists and sponsors to come on board to support the project to ensure its success as the secretariat planned to expand it to include other basic schools in the country in the nearest possible time.
Mrs Doris Ashun, the General Manager of Catholic Schools, on her part noted that scientific application and innovation were critical for economic competitiveness, quality of life and national security in a globalised world.
She said it was therefore imperative that science education was prioritized by ensuring that teachers’ capabilities were enhanced that would enable them adopt creative, exciting and practical teaching methods to bring out the best in the pupils.
“This science and mathematics quiz is also introducing practical perspective that will not only allow the children to learn and pour out what they have learnt but improve upon the impact of science on the young ones,” she said.
Mrs Ashun urged all participating schools to consider the competition as an opportunity to whisk up pupils’ interest in science and mathematics.
She therefore called on all regional managers and heads of the Catholic Schools to support and cooperate in order to ensure the BBQ became a reality and a sustained project.
Mr Samuel Owusu Boateng, the Executive Director of Cocktail Media also noted that developing a strong foundation was critical for the growth and development of any country.
“We believe that the National Science and Maths quiz should have started from the basic level, because if you want to make any impact you need to develop very strong root before you build on that”.
“This competition is therefore to give to the pupils in the basic schools the opportunity to apply practical and critical thinking in solving society’s problems,” he added.
Source: Ghana News Agency