Durban- On the first day of the Durban leg of Independent Media’s National High School Quiz, pupils from more than 22 schools met at Danville Park Girls’ High School for the chance to compete at the national finals in Johannesburg at the end of the month.
“We have groups of students from diverse backgrounds - from private and public schools - coming under one roof to have an equal opportunity to compete in the quiz. We believe everyone, in spite of their school background, has a fair advantage of doing well,” Portia Nene, business development manager of events at Independent Media, said yesterday.
The Daily News, in collaboration with IIE Varsity College, launched the quiz in Johannesburg last year and this year the quiz is national. It includes regional competitions, where pupils compete in three different regions across KZN: Durban (zone 1), Pietermaritzburg (zone 2) and KZN North (zone 3).
After months of preparation, Sane Ndlovu, the national public relations and events manager of Varsity College, was glad to see it all come to fruition. Ndlovu said she hoped that the pupils would enjoy the experience while also learning about topics in a fun and engaging way.
Pupils were quizzed on articles which had been published in the Daily News. The questions spanned politics, sports, current affairs, business and entertainment.
The quiz master, Daily News assistant editor Zoubair Ayoob, read out eight questions on each topic.
The pupils worked in groups of four. One teammate was responsible for writing down the answer, whereupon it was collected by runners and taken to staff members for review.
Each team had coaches, but some teachers said the pupils had taken the initiative to prepare for the quiz.
“It was actually the pupils who did the work. I was impressed by how they got the newspapers themselves.
“They have been quite competitive, quite nervous and excited,” said Seemeen Moolla, a teacher at Danville Park Girls’ High.
Other teachers were simply grateful for the exposure the competition afforded their pupils.
“I am happy because our school is getting exposed to learning opportunities we were not aware of and the pupils get exposed to a different environment.
“They come from a marginalised community,” said Xolani Magwaza, teacher and coach from Inanda Newtown Comprehensive High School.
At the end of the competition, the top 11 teams were announced.
When asked to describe how they were feeling, Wanga Charma, from Kloof High School, summed it up for his teammates.
“We are ecstatic. We did not know the magnitude of the competition, but we feel pretty good about being selected,” said Charma.
Their coach was equally enthusiastic. “I am so proud of them. They are amazing. I am blown away and the school is, too,” said their teacher, Robyn Patton.
However, what teachers and coaches wanted all the participants to learn from the competition was something bigger than winning.
“I hope they take the practice of reading seriously and apply it daily, rather than just for the competition,” said Magwaza.
In explaining the mission of the event, Nene said: “We are trying to groom the next generation of readers one step at a time.”
Zone 2 will take place on Tuesday in Pietermaritzburg at Varsity College’s Pietermaritzburg campus.
