Mr. Ebenezer Nimako Nyarko, founder of EN Analytics, has emphasised the importance of the National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ) in promoting science and mathematics in Ghanaian senior high schools.
He made this remark on Campus Exclusive program on the University of Ghana’s campus-based radio station.
He was explaining the factors that were taken into account in the most recent analytics release that ranked the strength of science in Ghanaian senior high schools.
Mr. Nyarko highlighted the rationale for focusing on this event for evaluating educational standards by emphasizing the significance of the NSMQ competition as the closest representative of science and math education in the country.
“The criteria are to look at what represents science and maths in the secondary school category currently and the nearest proxy is the National Science and Maths Quiz. So that is why we focus on the NSMQ to look at science and maths education in Ghana. Your final position that you reach in a particular year and then the category of the school that has been assigned to you by GES,” Mr Nyarko said.
In order to address the fundamental aspects of acknowledging efforts in educational competitions, Nyarko emphasised the importance of rankings beyond mere victory, emphasising the importance of appreciating schools’ efforts, regardless of ranking, in order to truly acknowledge their dedication to the NSMQ.
“Every competition must have a ranking, so that informs the basis of the ranking. You cannot just hold a competition and say that [a school] just won the competition; [A school] will be at the semifinals without winning but that school must be recognized for the effort that they have put in reaching their positions. So that forms the basis of the rankings but that rankings are not necessarily for the winner of the competition but to reward consistent performance,” he said.
Mr. Nyarko also explained why EN Analytics uses the National Science and Maths Quiz for its ranking, stating that there is no other method representative of science and maths education in Ghana besides the NSMQ.
“In Ghana, when you talk about science and maths in secondary schools, apart from the NSMQ, we can’t have any other method that represents science and maths education in Ghana. So that is the closest that we can get in Ghana at the moment,” he said.
Mr. Nyarko’s emphasis on the NSMQ as a critical tool for evaluating science and mathematics education in Ghana, as well as his call for comprehensive rankings that recognise the efforts of all participating schools, highlighted the need for a broader understanding of excellence in educational competitions that goes beyond mere victory.
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