Francis Appiah Fumes: “Empower the Lower Schools and Stop the Aladdin Syndrome Race in the National Maths and Science Quiz”

By: Kakyire | Happy FM, Accra

Social commentator and education advocate Francis Appiah has expressed strong concerns over the recurring dominance of a few elite schools in the National Maths and Science Quiz (NSMQ), calling for deliberate efforts to empower less-endowed schools across the country.

Speaking to Happy FM in Accra, Mr. Appiah described the current trend as the “Aladdin Syndrome Race,” where only a handful of schools consistently rise to the top, leaving the majority to play the role of spectators.

“It’s like a race where Aladdin enters with a pistol and shoots anyone who tries to overtake him,” Appiah said with humor. “Every year, we see the same schools winning as if the rest don’t have teachers or intelligent students. That’s not a fair competition — that’s academic dictatorship.”

He stressed that the NSMQ, originally designed to promote national academic excellence, has gradually turned into a show for a few privileged institutions, overshadowing equally talented students from smaller or rural schools.

“Even the chick from a poor hen can grow to become a proud cock,” he added, quoting an African proverb. “If we give every school the same training, motivation, and support, new champions will surely rise.”

Mr. Appiah urged the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service, and corporate sponsors to channel more resources and mentorship programs to less-endowed schools to bridge the academic gap.

“The NSMQ should be a race of brilliant minds, not a dynasty of the same few schools,” he concluded. “The sky is wide enough for every bird to fly.”

The National Maths and Science Quiz remains Ghana’s premier academic competition, but its consistent pattern of winners — often dominated by schools like PRESEC-Legon, Prempeh College, and St. Peter’s SHS — continues to fuel national conversations about educational inequality and access to opportunity.