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Munyaradzi Chamalimba Cool Lifestyle Correspondent
Registration for the 2017 National School Quiz Tournament is now open with the organisers of the academic sport spreading their wings further on the continent to include East and West African schools. This comes after a successful host of the last year’s final in Johannesburg, South Africa, where five Zimbabwean schools competed against 17 schools from the Sadc region and Marist Brothers High School of Nyanga emerged victorious.

The winners got scholarships valued at R1 500 000 to study at Pearson Institute in Midrand, South Africa, as well as the Thabo Mbeki Legacy Trophy.

Associate producer of the quiz show Tino Murira was optimistic about the growth of the tournament within the region and encouraged more schools to participate as this platform goes beyond the academic aspect of life but offers a number of opportunities to the young generation.

“The benefits of registering and participating at this level are many but cardinally the platform affords students an opportunity to interact with like-minded scholars forming what is becoming a powerful student network and global digital metropolis, populated by our intellectual leaders, motivators and future leaders.

“The students will be included in the Annual Thabo Mbeki Leadership Camp which seeks to empower all participants with knowledge of self and future purpose so as to build a better life for all Africans young and old regardless of class, race, or creed. The only way this can be achieved is through a well read and educated youth of today building a brighter tomorrow,” said Murira

All participants stand an equal opportunity of winning academic bursaries to study in South Africa.

This opportunity is entirely based upon their ability to win and survive the knockout stages of the tournament, make it to the finals and face off for the grand prize of scholarships and year-long bragging rights to the Thabo Mbeki Legacy Trophy.

Zimbabwe preliminaries will be held in three cities which are Mutare, Harare and Bulawayo.

“First round of preliminaries will be in Mutare on April 5 at Mutare Teachers College and battle of the Nerds on April 7 at St John’s High School Emerald Hill in Harare. In May Prince Edward School will be the venue on the 12th to the 13th of the same month and schools in Bulawayo will have their share of fun on the 11th of the same month at a venue to be advised.

“The Battle of the Nerds tournaments are NSQC’s way of acknowledging and giving back to the scholar community. Through these staging’s we seek to embrace and popularise all off-field extracurricular activities showcasing quiz, toastmasters, chess, scrabble, checkers, debate and public speaking. This is an opportunity for all participating schools to experience our brand in the comfort of what is familiar.”

Only the best schools in the preliminaries will qualify for the major 2017 tournament in South Africa.

The top four schools from NSQC Sadc Regional’s 2016 and top four from the Regional Tournament in 2017 will join the top eight schools from East West Africa in 2018 at the NSQC World Series.

Last year’s tournament will be screened as a series of 13 episodes of edutainment on Mindset Dstv channel 319 begining February 9 at 9pm. Five Zimbabwean schools which took part are Prince Edward, St Davies Bonda, St Ignatius’s Johns Emerald Hill and Peter House and they will feature on different episodes.