Nkwatia Presby SHS are National Energy Quiz champions

Nkwatia Presby Senior High school have emerged winners at the 2nd Nana Sir Ofori-Atta I National Energy Quiz held on Thursday, 13th February, 2020 at the assembly hall of the Krobo Girls Senior High School at Odumase-Krobo in the Eastern region.

They beat Asamankese SHS and Oyoko Methodist SHS which placed second and third respectively at the end of four rounds of competition.

For their prize, the winners with 59 points, took home a plaque and GH? 2000.

Second placed Asamankese SHS which followed with 45 points took home GH? 1500 with third placed Oyoko Methodist SHS with 26 points also going home with a plaque and GH? 1000.

It was a tight competition as students from the three schools were engaged in a serious mind battle in power, energy and culture till the end of the final round.

“That’s incorrect, that’s incorrect” the iconic voice of Quiz Master, Mr. Gideon Ofosu-Peasah kept echoing to the contestants.

By this victory, Nkwatia Presby which eliminated St. Peters at the semi-finals has proven that the victory was no fluke.

The programme is gradually gaining popularity among Senior High Schools as organizers hope to make it even bigger next year while fostering healthy academic rivalry among the schools.

The competition began on November, 20 2019 at the assembly hall of the Krobo Girls Senior High School.

Nkwasco claimed the title from the two schools who surrendered right from the third round as their contestants proved tough for Asamankese SHS and Oyoko Methodist SHS.

Backed by their vociferous mates, Nkwatia Presby after taking an early lead in the first round, lost the 2nd round to the other two school before bouncing back in the third round, forcing their opponents to stutter in the final two rounds to lose points.

For the next 12 months, Nkwasco will have the bragging rights over their peers till the next competition.

CEO of the Eastern Star Awards Company Limited, co-organizers of the event, Mr. Humphrey Tetteh extolled the values of Nana Sir Ofori-Atta I for his unmatched contribution and passion towards education.

Culture and education, he emphasized, were linked and education should therefore remain a reflection of the culture of the people.

Mr. Humphrey Tetteh maintained that energy issues offered global opportunities and it was therefore important that the African child is not left behind taking advantage of the huge opportunities in the value chain of the energy sector.

From a humble beginning of just five schools in the New Juaben Municipal, the NEQ this year featured 82 schools and Mr. Tetteh said the competition would be extended to cover all regions of the country as it targets about 50,000 students to benefit from the event.

Eastern Regional Secretary of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) and co-organizers of the event, Daniel Kofi Mensah expressed satisfaction at the output of the participating schools in the competition.

Mr. Mensah who was convinced that the quiz will open the minds of the students in the study of oil and gas identified the sector as a hot job hub for students who opt for its study since very few job opportunities existed in other sectors.

He said empowering young Ghanaians in the field of oil and gas will enable them to take up these jobs hitherto occupied by expatriates.

On his part, Mr. Kofi Agyarko, Director, Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency & Climate Change at the energy commission congratulated all participating schools – both winners and losers on their feat and urged them to build on their acquired knowledge in the field of power, energy and culture.

He called for the inclusion of more girls in the area of energy as very few girls found their way into the sector.

Miss Grace Kyerewaa who was part of the Nkwasco winning team expressed her excitement over their feat which she attributed to hard work and dedication.

Asked which areas they found most challenging, Miss Kyerewaa said they faced difficulties in the area of energy since they did not get much information in the field.

She however urged their junior colleagues to work hard to retain the feat chalked by the school in the next competition.

The NEQ which is designed to empower Senior High and Technical Schools with knowledge in the entire energy value chain including petroleum upstream and downstream, power generation, transmission and distribution, focuses on Power, Petroleum and Culture.

It equally aims at educating the youth in both Senior High Schools (SHS) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) on the energy sector.

The NEQ is sponsored by the Ghana Oil Company Limited, Ghana Grid Company Limited, the Energy Commission, Ghana Maritime Authority, Ghana National Gas Company Limited and the Petroleum Commission.

The annual competition which is run under the auspices of Nananom of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, is jointly organized by Eastern Star Awards Co. Limited in partnership with the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) and coordinated in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Energy.