• Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann has responded to claims that the NSMQ is too theoretical and focused on rote learning.

• Prof. Kaufmann says she has been calling for a scientific study to examine the types of questions used in the NSMQ and the programme’s broader impact, but the study has not yet been conducted.

• She says former contestants have highlighted skills such as discipline, teamwork, analytical thinking and quick decision-making as lasting benefits of participating in the NSMQ.

National Science & Maths Quiz (NSMQ) mistress, Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann, has pushed back against claims that the competition is largely theoretical and has little impact beyond the televised contest.

According to her, such criticisms have prompted her to take a closer look at the programme and, in particular, the nature of the questions contestants are required to answer.

Prof. Kaufmann made the comments in an interview with Berla Mundi, where she addressed some of the misconceptions surrounding the NSMQ and its impact on students.

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She acknowledged hearing claims that the competition has become more about schools competing against each other and that it does not translate into meaningful experiences beyond the quiz. She explained that when she hears concerns that she believes need to be addressed, she first raises them with the relevant people and, if necessary, takes steps to investigate them herself.

When criticism emerged that the NSMQ was based too heavily on rote learning, Prof. Kaufmann said she began questioning whether that assessment was supported by an analysis of the questions used in the competition.

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She said a comparison of the questions used when the programme started in 2006 with those being asked today could help determine whether the competition has remained overly focused on memorisation.

Prof. Kaufmann also questioned the assumption that the quiz relies heavily on rote learning, pointing to the scores achieved by contestants over the years.

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She believes a proper assessment should determine what proportion of the questions require recall, application and other forms of thinking, as well as identify areas that may need to be changed.

At the same time, Prof. Kaufmann noted that NSMQ is a quiz programme, meaning contestants must answer questions within relatively short periods.

She explained that many questions have to be answered within 10 or 30 seconds, while the longest challenge, the Problem of the Day, now gives contestants four minutes.

Beyond analysing the questions, Prof. Kaufmann said she has been interested in understanding the broader impact of the NSMQ on students after they leave the competition.

She said she has repeatedly called for a scientific study into both the nature of the questions and the general impact of the programme, but such a study has not yet been conducted.

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In the absence of such a study, Prof. Kaufmann said she has turned to former contestants, whom she affectionately calls her “superstars”, to learn about how the experience has influenced their lives.

She said she asks NSMQ alumni what they are doing and how lessons from their participation have affected their professional lives.

Prof. Kaufmann said she initially shared some of these stories on WhatsApp before moving them to LinkedIn, where she believes people interested in understanding the programme’s impact can read about the experiences of former contestants.

She said the stories demonstrate that the benefits of participating in the NSMQ go beyond academic knowledge.

Among the skills alumni have highlighted, she said, are discipline, teamwork, analytical thinking, the ability to analyse questions and the capacity to think quickly.