The Abuakwa South Municipal Education Director, Mrs. Comfort Ofori-Appiah has credited the Kingsley Science and Maths Quiz and the Kingsley Spelling Challenge with significantly improving academic performance, reading skills and learner confidence across schools in the municipality.
Speaking on the sidelines of the grand finale of the competitions in Kyebi, the Municipal Director of Education said the annual academic contests have become a major catalyst for educational excellence since their introduction six years ago.
According to the Director, the competitions have inspired pupils to embrace academic contests with enthusiasm while boosting their confidence both inside and outside the classroom.
“The event has boosted the confidence of our learners. They are always excited whenever they hear about the competition, and academically we have seen remarkable improvement,” the Director said.
The Director noted that several pupils who excelled in previous editions have gone on to secure admission into some of the country’s top senior high schools, demonstrating the positive impact of the initiative.
“Some of the girls who competed in the semi-finals and finals are now enrolled in Category A senior high schools. Their reading ability has improved tremendously, and when you visit their schools, they continue to perform exceptionally well,” the Director stated.
The Director added that schools that have consistently participated in the competition, including KPCE Demonstration and Kibi Ebenezer Presbyterian, continue to record impressive academic performances.
On the impact of the spelling competition on the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), the Director explained that strengthening pupils’ literacy skills at the primary level makes learning easier at the junior high school level and ultimately translates into better examination performance.
“If children can read well at the primary level, learning becomes much easier when they get to JHS. We are therefore hopeful that many of our learners will obtain grades that will enable them to gain admission into Category A and B senior high schools,” the Director said.
This year’s competition also introduced a new feature by inviting schools that reached the semi-final stage to attend the grand finale with 40 pupils each.
According to the Director, the decision was intended to expose more learners to academic excellence while promoting teamwork, healthy competition and social interaction.
“In previous years only the finalist schools attended the finals. This year, we invited all the semi-finalist schools so that more learners could observe, learn and be inspired. You can see the excitement and joy in the auditorium,” the Director remarked.
Assessing BECE performance since the introduction of the initiative, the Director said the municipality has recorded steady improvement over the past six years despite a slight decline last year due to the transition to the Common Core Curriculum.
“We experienced a slight drop last year because it was the first examination under the new Common Core Curriculum, a challenge experienced nationwide. This year, however, we are optimistic that the results will improve significantly,” the Director explained.
The Directorate is targeting an overall pass rate of about 65 per cent, with hopes of surpassing that benchmark in subsequent years.
Delivering a message to candidates awaiting the release of this year’s BECE results, the Director congratulated them in advance and urged them to make informed choices during the school selection process.
“I want to congratulate our candidates in advance. When they perform well, it reflects the hard work being done in our municipality. As you receive your results before school placement this year, choose schools that match your grades and that your parents can comfortably support. Every child deserves a smooth transition to senior high school,” the Director advised.