Students, Teachers Laud Promasidor over Cowbellpedia Secondary Schools Mathematics TV Quiz Show
Excited by new prospects in the 2016 Cowbellpedia Secondary School Mathematics Television Quiz competition, students and their parents have commended the initiative by Promasidor Nigeria. A cross-section of parents, students and teachers who spoke to our correspondents also wants the government and other corporate citizens to emulate the great initiative.
Mrs. Morenikeji Ojo, a parent of one the students who participated from Ogun State last year, explained that such a gesture will boost the morale and interest of students in such a seemingly difficult subject as mathematics. “I watched the programme on TV with my daughter and since then she has renewed her interest in mathematics, a subject which has become a major headache for her. After the 2015 edition, the situation has changed now,” she said.
A teacher in one of the public secondary schools in Lagos also commended the initiative and prayed that government at all levels will support such a great idea to boost the morale of students and teachers generally.
Master Ayodeji Akinkuowo, the 2015 winner in the Senior Secondary School category, commended Promasidor for bringing him from obscurity to the national limelight. He also appealed to the government to commit more resources and attention to mathematics and science education. “After winning last year, I became an instant celebrity in my school and in my town. Every student, both junior and senior, now runs to me whenever there is a problem with mathematics. Even the governor of Ondo State invited me to the Government House to honour me and shake my hand. My parents were very happy and did thanksgiving in our church,” he said.
After 18 years of involvement with the sponsorship of the Mathematics competition in Nigeria, Mr. Olivier Thiry, Managing Director of Promasidor Nigeria, explained, at the launch of the programme in Lagos, that the company has now taken a strategic decision to bring all mathematics intervention activities by Cowbell under one umbrella: COWBELLPEDIA.
Thiry also informed those present that the company had significantly increased the prize money for the finals for both students and teachers. This year, he said, the top student winner in each category will go home with One Million Naira in addition to other prizes, while the teacher will be awarded Four Hundred Thousand Naira. “All these improvements are to underscore Promasidor’s effort to provide a credible platform that discovers, recognizes and rewards excellence in mathematics, a critical component of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in Nigeria. This is in addition to the quality nutrition that is provided by the Cowbell brand for the nourishment of the Nigerian people especially children,” he said.
Also speaking on the occasion, Festus Tettey Head of Marketing, Promasidor Nigeria Limited explained that other activities under Cowbellpedia include the Cowbellpedia Radio Programme: a 5-minute interactive radio Mathematics programme on major radio stations in Nigeria to teach secondary school students rudiments of Mathematic; and the Cowbellpedia Mobile App: a multi-level mobile app that allows secondary school students to practice Mathematics questions in a fun way everywhere. This app can be downloaded on the Google Play Store and Apple Store.
According to him, the competition this year will be in two stages: Qualifying Written Examination and TV Quiz Show. Tettey added that the stage one of the Mathematics Competition is open to students from 10 - 18 years of age attending full time Secondary Education in both Public and Private Schools in Nigeria. Entry into this competition is FREE.
Each School is required to present their BEST Ten (10) students in Mathematics (five from JSS3 and five from SSS2), irrespective of sex, religion, tribe or state of origin, to enhance their chance of qualifying for the next stage of the competition. According to Tettey, the stage one registration, which is online, involves visiting www.cowbellpedia.ng
The Prize money for this year’s competition has also increased considerably as opposed to what obtained in the last two years. The winner this year will go home with one million naira in cash, a medal, a trophy and an all-expense paid vacation. The first and the second runner-up will take N750,000 and N500,000 respectively. There will also be a plaque, mathematics textbooks and a desktop computer for the winners.