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Girls’ Schools do not take NSMQ seriously as Boys’ Schools-Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann
Renowned Quiz Mistress of the National Science and Math Quiz(NSMQ) fame, Prof.Elsie Effah Kaufmann has revealed why no Girls’ School has won the competition before.
According to Prof Kaufmann who is also a senior lecturer at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Ghana, the Girls’ Schools do not take the NSMQ seriously as compared to the Boy’s Schools.
Explaining her point in an interview with Roselyn Feli on Joy Prime on Thursday, Prof.Effah Kaufmann said she was disappointed and quite unhappy no Girls’ School had won since its inception in the past 23 years.
She noted that even though there had been some improvement in how female contestants behave in the competition compared to the past where they were mostly shy or scared to answer questions, the lack of seriousness is a cause to worry.
“Yes I’m disappointed, it makes me quite unhappy to talk about it, I don’t think it’s a matter of competence, the girls are competent,” she said.
Assigning some reasons, she said, “The Girls’ schools do not take this competition seriously as the Boys’, because if they did, I would see them do some of the things the Boys’ schools and the Mixed Schools do.”
Prof Effah Kaufmann revealed that the schools that have consistently done well in the Quiz have a pipeline of contestants, they start their selection even before they get to the final year.
“They have a team in the first year, second year and third year, who sit in the crowd calculating, getting themselves ready, which is not done by some of the Girls who only wait to finish their Mock Exams before selecting their contestants,” she noted.
President John Mahama has arrived in Moscow, Russia, from Ethiopia to participate in the 3rd Russia-Africa Summit.
The summit is being hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
During the visit, President Mahama will join fellow African leaders at the Economic and Humanitarian Forum and summit plenary sessions.
He is also scheduled to hold high-level bilateral talks with President Putin and attend a Kente exhibition organised by the Russia-Ghana Parliamentary Forum.
As part of the visit, the President will receive honorary doctorate degrees from the Russian University of Transport and the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia.
He will also engage Russian businesses and state institutions to advance bilateral cooperation between Ghana and Russia.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
President John Dramani Mahama has commissioned four career diplomats as ambassador-designates to represent Ghana in four countries.
The commissioning ceremony took place on Friday, October 16, 2026.
The new envoys are Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo, Ambassador-Designate to Angola; His Excellency Louis Kwame Obeng, Ambassador-Designate to Qatar; Her Excellency Evelyn Korantemaa Ofosu-Amable, Ambassador-Designate to Israel; and His Excellency Jedidiah Reuben Adogla, Permanent Representative-Designate to Switzerland.
President Mahama charged them to advance Ghana’s national interests through strategic partnerships, economic diplomacy, investment mobilization, and expanded access to international markets.
He said Ghana’s diplomatic engagements must deliver tangible economic benefits, create jobs, and strengthen the country’s standing on the international stage.
The four envoys are career diplomats with over 27 years of experience.
On behalf of her colleagues, Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo thanked the President for the confidence reposed in them and pledged their commitment to emulate his leadership and deliver on the mandate given to them.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
