The preliminary rounds of the 2016 Cowbellpedia Secondary Schools Mathematics Television Quiz Show ended last weekend and produced 36 semi-finalists who are set to battle for the 12 slots in the finals of both Junior and Senior categories.

Out of the 47,000 candidates that participated in the Stage 1 written examination of the competition, only 108 qualified for the Stage 2, a Television Quiz Show which started on July 31st, 2016. This was made up of 71 males (66%) and 37 females (34%). Out of the 36 semi-finalists, there are 17 males (47%) and 19 females (53%). The breakdown of the figure shows that out of every 10 females that participated in the preliminary rounds, 5 females qualified, while out of 10 males that participated in the preliminary rounds, 2 males qualified for the semi-finals. In 2016, to encourage Girl Child Education, the brand sponsor, Cowbell Our Milk made a humble appeal that Mixed Schools should nominate minimum two (2) girls for each category to represent such school.The above result validates the sponsor’s initiative.

Another outstanding highlight is that all the eight students that participated in the preliminary rounds from The Ambassadors College, Ota, Ogun State secured the semi-final tickets.

In the last preliminary episode aired last weekend, both Toyosi Olorunfemi of Model Secondary School, Ileasanmi, Akure, Ondo State and Usama Imam Auwal of Iqra Science Academy in the Junior category flew past Chinenye Ike of Federal Government College, Owerri, Imo State; Opeyemi Amee of University of Ilorin Secondary School, Ilorin, Kwara State; Emmanuel Olasoju of Federal Science and Technical College, Yaba, Lagos State; and Ibrahim sadi-Umar of Dutse Model International Secondary School, Dutse, Jigawa State. In the Senior Category, the duo of Onyinye Okolie Graceville College, Asaba Delta State and Yusuf Jimoh of Federal Government College, Ilorin.

Kwara State secured the semi-final tickets. They subdued Eustace Imafidon of Whitesands College, Lagos; Calistus Azuka of Monsignor Maduka Memorial Secondary School, Ekwulobia, Anambra State; Aminu Rimin of Kuntau Science Academy, Kaduna, Kaduna State; and Muhammed Suleiman of JIBWIS College, Gombe, Gombe State. The ultimate prize for this year’s edition is One million naira and an all-expense paid educational excursion outside the country. The teacher of the winning students will receive Four hundred thousand naira.