Master Augustine Annan Awasan, a student of the Nkwanta Senior High School (SHS), has emerged the best student of the Northern Zone Ghana Science Olympiad (GSO) competition, held in Tamale.
He received a gold medal, a Samsung Galaxy Tablet, Core Mathematics and Integrated Science textbooks, and a certificate of merit.
The GSO competition was organised for 120 students drawn from 60 SHSs in underserved districts in the Northern, North East, Savannah, Oti, Upper West and Upper East regions.
It was held on the theme: “STEM Education: A catalyst for nation building”.
Master Nicholas Baffoe and Master Gabriel Akantuesiba Alimsiwon, both students from the Walewale SHS and Sandema Senior High Technical School (SHTS) placed second and third respectively.
They took home, gold medals, Samsung Galaxy Tablets, Core Mathematics and Integrated Science textbooks, and certificates of merit.
The best 30 in the general contest were awarded 10 Gold medals, 10 Silver medals, and 10 Bronze medals.
The competition is an initiative of the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES) under the Schools Education Improvement Project (SEIP) that aims at promoting teaching and learning of Science, Technology, and Mathematics in schools.
It also seeks to equip students from underserved schools with critical thinking skills and expose them to practical aspects of Science and Mathematics to improve on their knowledge base for better academic performances.
The three-day competition, which started from November 19 to 22, consisted of critical thinking objectives, problem-based theory, and practical questions from Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics.
The top ten students from the competition would represent the Northern Zone at the grande finale of the fourth edition of GSO to be held in Kumasi on November 29.
Master Awasan speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the side lines at the climax of the competition, lauded the Ministry of Education and its partners for the initiative, and said it had exposed them to practical aspects of what they had learned in school.
He said, “this competition has broadened our practical knowledge of all that we have been taught, and I believe it will encourage me to study hard to win the national competition in Kumasi”.
Other winners who spoke to the GNA said the knowledge they had acquired from the competition would help improve their academic performances, especially the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
Mrs Olivia Serwaa Opare, Director of Science Education Unit at the Ghana Education Service, congratulated the award winners, and urged those who would represent the Northern Zone to study well to win the national competition.
She said the Olympiad competition was generally aimed at promoting the practical teaching and learning of Science, Technology, and Mathematics in SHSs across the country.
She said the Olympiad sought to help students to think and create wealth from the learning of science in their academic work and prepare them towards their future careers.
Mrs Opare commended the government, the Minister of Education, and the Director-General of the GES for instituting the GSO to improve on teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics.
Dr Peter Attafuah, Northern Regional Director of Education, advised the students to take advantage of what they had learned, and ensure they better understood their world to choose Science-related careers for accelerated national development.
He called on stakeholders to support the implementers of the GSO for its sustainability to help benefit all schools in the country.
Daboya Community Day SHS won the overall best school in Practical, while Nkwanta SHS and Sandema SHTS came second and third respectively.
