Prempeh College demands that the competition be halted until the protest is handled.

Prempeh College alumni have requested that Primetime Limited postpone this year’s National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ) final until their school’s protest regarding their response to a riddle question during the semi-final round of the competition is investigated and resolved.

In order to dispel any uncertainties regarding the issues brought up by the school, former students and administrators have therefore called for the creation of an impartial commission to investigate the situation and render a decision prior to the final.

They claimed that the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology’s (KNUST) Physics Department or the Ministry of Education could handle that.

Ebenezer Owusu Wireko, an alumnus of the school, told the Daily Graphic that a panel of three or five capable physicists could sit down and decide on the issue; they merely wanted the world to know that they were correct.

Individual
He stated that until this matter was examined by an impartial agency,
the “quiz final should be suspended”

Therefore, we are of the opinion that an impartial body should be appointed to hear both Primetime’s and our side of the dispute.

We want people to understand that science is science and that you cannot simply disregard Prempeh College and move on. It is not only about making it to the finals or anything.

Science is science, if it is ‘A’ it is, if it is ‘B’ so it is. 

He stated, “You cannot rule by discretion and then claim that the quizmaster used her own judgment and everything. In the meantime, you are not even allowed to cite a single scientific study that defines the phenomenon as linear superposition.

Educational institution

Prempeh College stated in a letter dated October 24, 2023, signed by P. B. Damoah, the NSMQ Coordinator, that while the school thought it had filed the protest within the allotted time frame per the NSMQ guidelines, Primetime seemed to imply there was another process they were not aware of.

In order to correct any misinformation, it asked for an accurate copy of the competition rules and stated that it was prepared to make any further presentations at any time prior to the final competition.

Consultant in Physics

Since one cannot be a judge in one’s own case, the statement continued, “We believe that Primetime cannot rely on the same Physics Consultant who has relied on unconfirmed and unconventional concepts, which is unrelated to the question the competition asked to justify the rejection of the correct answer our contestant gave.” Given that the competition may have reached a deadlock, the statement asked that an independent consultant or body be engaged to bring the matter to a close.

“We are adamant that our response is accurate, and we will use every resource at our disposal—including the legal system, if required—to make sure Prempeh College and its competitors receive a fair trial.

In instances where we have exited the competition, we have supported Primetime and the winning school and congratulated them.

This is the first time we have had to engage Primetime on this level because we genuinely believe in the position we have taken,” it said.

It said the school would refer the issue to other international institutions and experts, and furnish the organisers with copies of their responses at the appropriate time.

Primetime

In response to its earlier protest after the contest, Primetime Limited upheld the quizmistress’s decision not to award any marks to Prempeh College for the answer it gave to a riddle in the semi-final contest with Opoku Ware Senior High School (OWASS) and Pope John’s SHS & Minor Seminary, on Thursday, October 19, 2023.

At the end of the contest, Prempeh College and Pope John’s had 36 points apiece while Opoku Ware won the contest with 38 points.

Prempeh had disputed the answer to a riddle in the fifth round of the competition and called for a review and acceptance of its contestant’s answer, as well as the overturn of the results of the contest in favour of the school.

Among other things, a letter, dated October 21, 2023, signed by the Managing Director of Primetime Limited, Nana Akua A. Mensa-Bonsu, said that following consultations with the resident physics consultant, the quizmistress, Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann, the ruling was affirmed.

It said that when Prempeh College raised the objections at the competition grounds, they were reviewed by the physics consultant, who explained the concepts to the team, and they accepted them.

It, therefore, said the turnaround and insinuation that a deliberate injustice had been carried out against Prempeh College was rather surprising.

Final contest

Meanwhile, the stage is set for the grand finale of the 2023 NSMQ at the National Theatre in Accra for a showdown involving the reigning champions, the Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School (Presec, Legon), which has won the competition seven times, the 1998 and 2004 winners, Achimota School, and OWASS, the 1997 and 2002 champions.

In the semi-final contest, Presec Legon accounted for two-time champions, Mfantsipim School (1999 and 2014) and Keta Senior High Technical School (KETASCO), which has never won the contest, although it has established itself very well in the NSMQ.

At the end of the competition, Presec had 44 points, compared to Mfantsipim’s 40 and Ketasco’s 39.

Achimota, on the other hand, clinched victory over tough opponents with 41 points over Wesley Girls’ High School, 31 points, and St. Louis SHS, 26 points.

OWASS clinched victory over bitterest rivals, Prempeh College (five-time winners) and Pope John’s, the 2001 champions.

The final is slated for today at the National Theatre.

About Author