NSMQ 2026: BIHECO Pips Asanteman SHS in Tie-break Showdown to Reach Quarter-finals

CNC Auditorium - August 28, 2026

It was fire and fury at the CNC Auditorium on Friday evening. The final One-eighth Stage contest of National Championship of the 2026 National Science & Maths Quiz (NSMQ) delivered pure cinema.

In the end, the Kpando giants, Bishop Herman College stood tall, breaking hearts and breaking a tie to secure quarter-final qualification in a contest that featured two other NSMQ heavyweights - Asanteman SHS and Opoku Ware School.

Quiz Mistress Mrs. Rachel Annoh craftily moderated the intense contest, calmly soothing contestants intermittently with her characteristic poise, in a pulsating encounter that ultimately required a dramatic tiebreaker to produce a winner.

In Round One, the 2025 Finalist, Opoku Ware School, took the lead with 17 points. Asanteman SHS followed with 14 points, while Bishop Herman SHS had 13 points.

In Round Two, the Trustur AI Speed Race, the tide changed and Asanteman SHS took the lead with 20 points. Bishop Herman SHS followed with 17 points, while Opoku Ware School dropped to 12 points.

In Round Three, the Prudential Life Insurance NSMQ Star (Problem of the Day), Bishop Herman SHS and Asanteman SHS both scored 10/10 to win the NSMQ Star prize of GH₵2,400 each. Opoku Ware School scored 9/10. At the end of the round, Asanteman SHS led with 30 points, followed by Bishop Herman SHS on 27 and Opoku Ware School on 21 points.

In Round Four, the Jupay Money Transfer True/False, Bishop Herman SHS closed the gap, drawing level with Asanteman SHS on 40 points. Opoku Ware School also recovered, moving to 25 points.

The Round Five, GOIL Riddle Bonanza, kept the contest close as Asanteman SHS and Bishop Herman SHS remained tied on 43 points each at the end of the round. Opoku Ware School finished on 31 points.

The scores forced the contest into a tiebreaker, with Bishop Herman College eventually emerging victorious after solving the third tiebreaker riddle. The win sent their supporters into celebration at the CNC Auditorium. Bishop Herman College therefore advances to the quarter-finals, while Asanteman SHS and Opoku Ware School bow out of the competition.

Speaking with the NSMQ Communications Team after the contest, the Coordinator of Bishop Herman College, Mr Agbotui Peter Dotsey, said the victory had sparked celebrations across the school.

He said the win was the result of months of hard work, particularly as the trainers decided to field Form Two students instead of Form Three students for this year’s competition.

“The boys were trained intensively for just three months with little sleep, but through divine favour they sailed into the quarter-finals, leaving the entire campus jubilant and hungry to do even more next year,” he said.

Augustine Mensah, a Form Two contestant for Bishop Herman College, said the team remained confident throughout the contest because their trainers had encouraged them to stay calm.

“My partner told me that in the tiebreaker everything will be simple, so we should take our time. At that moment, we left everything to God because from the beginning of the contest we knew that victory would be ours and, by God’s grace, we were granted victory,” he said.

“This win means a lot to us because even on campus, people are very happy,” Augustine said, adding that the team would continue training as they set their sights on reaching the Grand Finale.

The Round-by-Round Scores for this contest stood as follows:

Round One General Questions (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology)

Opoku Ware School                                17

Asanteman SHS                                        14

Bishop Herman College                         13

Round Two (Trustur AI Speed Race)

Asanteman SHS                                        20

Bishop Herman College                         17

Opoku Ware School                                12

Round Three Prudential Life Insurance NSMQ Star (Problem of the Day)    

Asanteman SHS                                        20

Bishop Herman  College                         27

Opoku Ware School                                 21

Round Four (Jupay Money Transfer True/False) 

Asanteman SHS                                        40

Bishop Herman                                        40

Opoku Ware                                             25

Round Five (GOIL Riddle Bonanza)

Asanteman SHS                                       43

Bishop Herman College                         43

Opoku Ware School                                31

The 2026 edition of the National Science & Maths Quiz is produced by Primetime Limited and proudly sponsored by the Ghana Education Service (GES), with support from GOIL PLC, Joy News, Prudential Life Insurance Ghana, Pepsodent, Cowbell, Trustur AI, Jupay Money Transfer, Lumevax, GTP, SpinCiti Laundromat, Didi Jollof, Bel Beverages, Accra College of Medicine, Coronation Insurance Ghana, Academic City University, Baldwin University College and YFM.