56,000 Students Participate At Cowbellpedia Maths Competition Exams

About 56,000 students jostled to cross the Stage One hurdle as the qualifying examination of the 2019 Cowbellpedia Secondary School Mathematics TV Quiz Show, sponsored by Cowbell, the flagship brand of Promasidor Nigeria Limited, held across designated centres nationwide on Saturday, February 9.

This year’s figure represents a 27.2 percent increase over the 44,000 participants recorded in 2018.

Out of these numbers, the best 108 will proceed to the next stage of the competition, which is the TV Quiz Show proper.

Last Saturday’s two-hour long examination was hitch-free in all the centres as candidates with confirmation slips were tested in the written examination.

Officials of the respective state’s Ministry of Education and the National Examination Council (NECO) supervised the examination at various centres.

Some candidates at some of the centres expressed optimism about their ability to make it to the next stage of the competition.

Emmanuel Adeoti, an SS2 student of Iponri Grammar School, Lagos, said he hoped to advance to the TV Quiz Show proper, regardless of the hurdles ahead of him. “The road to the Quiz Show may be quite difficult, but I’m sure I will be among the successful participants,” he enthused.

“I prepared very well for this exam and I look forward to being at the TV Quiz Show,” said Musiliu Adio of Community Junior Grammar School also in Lagos.

Assessing the conduct of the candidates at his designated centre, Charles Aneke, a NECO official, said although it was quite an arduous task getting the candidates to follow instructions, the exercise was a success.

Benedict Adegoke, an official of Lagos State Ministry of Education, also expressed satisfaction with the general conduct of the candidates.

“They were all seated before exam began. It wasn’t a case of having to run after one student or the other,” Adegoke disclosed.

The teachers commended organisers of the Cowbellpedia TV Quiz, for sustaining the annual Mathematics competition which, they said has continued to spur the desire for excellence in their students.

“Looking at the performance of my students today since the commencement of Cowbellpedia, it’s been a great leap from good to better. Each student wants to outperform the one before him or at the very least, maintain the same good record’’ said Abimbola Afolarin, a teacher at one of the centres.

The Managing Director of Promasidor Nigeria, Anders Einarson had earlier explained during the flag-off of the competition that the ultimate prize for this year’s edition is N2million and an all-expense paid educational excursion outside the country. The first and second runners-up will go home with N1.5million and N1 million respectively.

While the teacher of the top prize winner will be awarded N500,000, those of the first and second runners-up will get N400, 000 and N300, 000 respectively.