Monrovia Liberia- Maryland County at the dead end of South Eastern Liberia represented by the Catholic High School OUR LADY OF FATIMA are the champion of YEAR TWO of Liberia’s first ever and only all year round annual National General Knowledge Pop Quizzing competition.
It is named and styled the National Academic Challenge Competition (NACC), organized by the Liberia Media for Democratic Initiative (LMDI).
The Maryland County championship Follows an all year round robin in the YEAR TWO of the quizzing organized Annual National General Knowledge Pop Quizzing since early 2016 now climaxed by last Friday’s all day of the SEMI and GRAND FINALS, an LMDI press release said.
The finals, held in Monrovia at the weekend, involved four high schools representing four counties and regions in the rather fierce academic fight amongst 250 high schools for all of 2016 and 17.
OUR LADY OF FATIMA showed an unbeatable record in the YEAR TWO round robin first at county and regional levels and then at the National Championship level. FATIMAH first convincingly beat its way at the county level amongst 12 schools and moved to the Regional at Zwedru in Grand Gedeh to defeat the other four South Eastern counties, namely GRAND GEDEH, GRAND KRU, RIVER GEE and SINOE.
Maryland or OUR LADY OF FATIMA showed its strength to snatch the championship at the National SEMI and GRAND FINALS at the weekend narrowly defeating all the other three finalists, the WILLIAM V.S. TUBMAN GRAY HIGH SCHOOL, RICKS INSTITUTE and SHIRLEY KOLMER of Bong and Montserrado Counties respectively.
FATIMA dealt the final blow to its fellow Catholic school, Montserrado County’s second representative, SHIRLEY KOLMER with a painful narrow defeat of 200 to 190.
The other three finalists also found their way to the National Championship but through sporadic wins and defeats, not as achieved as Maryland County or OUR LADY OF FATIMA.
The LMDI YEAR TWO SEMI and GRAND FINALS were graced by two leading Liberian businessmen and politicians, MACDONALD WENTO and SIMEON FREEMAN.
They both pledged some level of help to the continuation of the LMDI National Annual General Knowledge Competition in response to a lament from LMDI Director of the general lack of support for the annual competition.
With Maryland/FATIMA victory and the end of YEAR TWO, the LMDI has announced the start of the YEAR THREE with the registration of schools targeting at least 300 Liberian high schools in the YEAR THREE thrill in search of academic excellence across the nation.
The LMDI National Academic Challenge Competition’s YEAR TWO SEMI and GRAND FINALS were in partnership with the YOUTH MOVEMENT FOR COLLECTIVE ACTION (U-MOVEMENT).
The March 9, 2018 SEMI and GRAND FINALS were the result of an all year round of academic clashes amongst 250 high schools in academic 2016/2017. YEAR TWO was looking for one high school for the GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP which Margibi’s Episcopalian ST. AUGUSTINE HIGH SCHOOL took for Academic 2015/ 2016 and still holds
The LMDI invited President GEORGE WEAH or his wife CLAR and expected to see either of them or both grace the occasion as a show of their support for improving the education system of Liberia which President WEAH’S predecessor, ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF dubbed in her time as messy, but neither of them attended the event.
LMDI Director John Kollie told the huge gathering of students that Frantic efforts were made to have the first family attend in furtherance of President WEAH’S heralded plan for education and his general pro-poor agenda, but to no avail.
But Kollie was quick to add that the first family’s absence was understandable as they have just embarked on their journey to govern Liberia and that busy schedule in the rather difficult starting times was to blame.
He said the LMDI is hopeful of the first family’s future show of support through their physical presence at future programs.
Meanwhile, the Liberia Media for Democratic Initiatives (LMDI) announces that it will launch an all girls version of its National General Knowledge Quizzing Competition on March 30, 2018 in Monrovia. Details will follow in subsequent press releases.