The Anlo Senior Secondary School Old Students’ Association (ANSSOSA) has challenged Primetime Limited’s decision on the controversial 2026 National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ) contest involving Anlo SHS, St. Augustine’s College and Kumasi High School, calling for an independent investigation into the matter.
In a statement issued and signed by the President of ANSSOSA Global, Aaron Andy Mensah Hanyabui, on August 28, 2026, the Association questioned the process that led to the declaration of St. Augustine’s College as winner after Anlo SHS and Kumasi High School walked out of the contest.
ANSSOSA said Primetime’s determination appeared to focus on the walkout without sufficiently addressing the circumstances and disputed decisions that preceded it.
“The determination by Primetime, which focuses solely on the walkout, fails to address the substantive issues that led to the walkout,” the statement said.
The controversy arose from a Biology question in Round One. St. Augustine’s College answered “dura mater”, which was initially rejected by the Quiz Mistress. The question was subsequently passed to Anlo SHS as a bonus, with the school answering “meninges” and receiving the mark.
St. Augustine’s College protested the ruling at the end of the round, but the protest was initially rejected. The matter was, however, revisited after the contest had progressed beyond Round One, leading to St. Augustine’s College being awarded two marks.
ANSSOSA questioned whether the competition’s rules allowed a protest that had already been determined in an earlier round to be reopened after the contest had progressed.
“Why was St. Augustine’s College allowed to revisit a Round One challenge in Round Three, after the issue had already been addressed?” the statement said.
The Association also questioned the treatment of the answer provided by Anlo SHS, maintaining that the school had supplied the expected answer to the question when it was offered as a bonus.
ANSSOSA further raised concerns about the consultation that resulted in the decision to award marks to St. Augustine’s College, arguing that the consultant was not informed that Anlo SHS had already answered “meninges”.
“Why was the consultant who recommended awarding a mark to St. Augustine’s College not informed that Anlo SHS had already provided the expected answer and had been awarded the bonus mark?” the statement said.
The Association also cited Anlo SHS’s Problem of the Day answer, which it said was considered correct but did not attract a mark because the required unit was omitted.
It questioned why similar consideration was not extended to Anlo SHS when St. Augustine’s College was awarded marks following the reconsideration of its answer.
ANSSOSA said the decisions ultimately resulted in St. Augustine’s College receiving two additional marks while Anlo SHS lost a mark it had earlier been awarded.
The disagreement continued into Round Four, with Anlo SHS demanding that its protest be reconsidered before the final Riddles round commenced.
When the contest was set to proceed, contestants of Anlo SHS and Kumasi High School eventually walked off the stage on the instructions of their teachers.
Primetime subsequently declared St. Augustine’s College winner based on the scores at the end of Round Four, citing the walkout by the other two schools.
ANSSOSA wants independent investigation
ANSSOSA disclosed that Anlo SHS management had petitioned both Primetime Limited and the Ghana Education Service over the handling of the contest.
The Association is asking Primetime to conduct an impartial review of the circumstances surrounding the walkout and specifically address the petition submitted by Anlo SHS.
“We therefore call on Primetime Limited to conduct a thorough and impartial determination of the circumstances surrounding the walkout and respond specifically to the petition submitted by Anlo SHS,” the statement said.
It also wants the organisers to clarify the rules governing protests, including when challenges to answers may be raised and how unresolved petitions should be handled before a contest proceeds.
ANSSOSA has further called on the Ghana Education Service to independently investigate the incident and make recommendations aimed at protecting the fairness and integrity of the competition.
“We call on the Ghana Education Service to independently investigate the circumstances surrounding the contest and make recommendations to Primetime and all stakeholders to safeguard the fairness, competitiveness and integrity of the NSMQ,” the statement said.
Despite the dispute, ANSSOSA said it remains supportive of the NSMQ and will continue to encourage Anlo SHS to participate in the competition.
Meanwhile, St. Augustine’s College has been scheduled to compete in the quarter-finals of the 2026 NSMQ.
The school will face St. John’s Grammar School and Aburi Girls’ SHS in Quarter-final 3 on Sunday, August 30, 2026, as the competition progresses despite the outstanding concerns raised by ANSSOSA.
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