Noordgrens’ victory short-lived at BoN high school competition
The Bank of Namibia (BoN) hosted its regional high school quiz competition on 15 August at the Teacher's Resource Centre in Rundu, with six schools from the Kavango East region competing for the title of regional champion.The BoN competition aims to educate students nationwide about its history, objectives and the banking system. It also provides an opportunity for learners to deepen their understanding of the economy and offers bursaries for those pursuing tertiary education.
Following each regional competition, the winning school would qualify to compete at the national level against schools from 13 other regions. Noordgrens Secondary School initially celebrated their victory at the regional level, but their excitement was short-lived.
Top representation
This year, Noordgrens was represented by a team of top commerce students.
After an explanation of the competition’s purpose and rules, Noordgrens was selected to start. Each team had to answer 10 questions, with only 30 seconds allotted for each response. After the first round, there was a tie between Noordgrens and Doctor Romanus Kampungu Secondary School, leading to a second round of questions.
At first, Doctor Romanus Kampungu Secondary School was awarded second place, while Noordgrens was declared the winner.
This marked the first time in seven years that Noordgrens had advanced to the nationals. They were given indemnity forms and a N$1 000 Waltons voucher.
Unexpected turn of events
However, in an unexpected twist, a review of the results by BON officials revealed judging errors, and first place was subsequently awarded to the Doctor Romanus Kampungu team. Noordgrens' spot in the national competition was revoked, and they were moved to third place.
Despite the disappointment, the Noordgrens team remained determined. "We learned a lot from the competition. Next time, we’re aiming for first place in both the regional and national competitions," said Heinrich, the team's economics teacher.
The Noordgrens team has already begun training for the next BoN competition, eagerly anticipating another chance to compete and prove their mettle.