NSMQ Committee responds to Prempeh College petition about unfair ruling in the NSMQ 2023 Semi-final contest

The National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ) Committee has responded to Prempeh College’s petition about the unfair ruling in the NSMQ 2023 Semi-final contest

In response to a petition filed by Prempeh College regarding the unfair ruling in the NSMQ 2023 Semi-final contest, the National Science & Maths Quiz (NSMQ) Committee has issued a statement addressing the concerns raised by the school.

The contest, which featured Prempeh College, Opoku Ware School, and Pope John SHS, sparked a dispute over the answer to a riddle in the fifth round of the competition.

Prempeh College’s petition, dated October 19, 2023, called for a review of the contestant’s answer, and the overturning of the contest results in their favor.

They argued that their contestant’s answer to the “principle of superposition” question deserved full marks, citing various sources and asserting that the principle of superposition is synonymous with the principle of linear superposition.

The NSMQ Committee sought input from Physics Consultant Dr. Amos Kuditcher and Quiz Mistress Professor Elsie Effah Kaufmann to evaluate the answer to the riddle. Both experts provided their comments on the matter.

According to the Physics Consultant, the protest from Prempeh College centered around a riddle in which clues pointed to the principle of linear superposition. The consultant engaged with the complainants, and although no reference to exponential superposition was made, a nonlinear superposition related to intensity was discussed.

The consultant further explained that while there are cases where electric fields participate in nonlinear processes, the examples and clues given in the riddle indicated a direct connection to linear superposition. The Quiz Mistress exercised her discretion in accepting answers that were synonymous with the target key and chose to maintain the original key in this case.

The NSMQ Committee affirmed the ruling made by the Quiz Mistress, emphasizing their commitment to fairness and the integrity of the competition. They acknowledged Prempeh College’s passion for the NSMQ but drew the line at insinuations of bias or attempts to favor certain schools. T

he Committee clarified that protests from schools are allowed and thoroughly reviewed to ensure fairness. In this instance, the Physics consultant explained the concepts to the protesting team, who subsequently accepted the explanation and counterexample provided.

The NSMQ Committee urged Prempeh College to follow the established procedure outlined in the NSMQ Rules to address their grievances rather than resorting to a smear campaign on social media. They emphasized the importance of graciousness in defeat and reiterated their commitment to impartiality and integrity.

The Committee expressed their appreciation for the efforts and investments made by all participating schools in preparing for the NSMQ. They highlighted the challenges faced by teams and the hard work involved in achieving excellent results. The Committee concluded by thanking all schools for their passionate participation in NSMQ 2023 and extended their best wishes for future editions of the competition.

Read the full statement

SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh