Anlo SHS, Kumasi High School withdrawn from NSMQ after walk-off

• Anlo SHS and Kumasi High School have been withdrawn from the 2026 NSMQ after their contestants walked off stage during Contest 9.

• Primetime said school officials instructed the contestants to leave while the contest was still ongoing, breaching the competition’s rules.

• St. Augustine’s College was declared the winner and will advance to the next stage of the competition.

Anlo Senior High School (SHS) and Kumasi High School have been withdrawn from the 2026 National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ) following a walk-off during their One-Eighth Stage Contest 9 against St. Augustine’s College.

According to Primetime Limited, the decision followed actions by officials of Anlo SHS and Kumasi High School that resulted in their contestants leaving the stage while the contest was still ongoing.

The incident began after St. Augustine’s College raised a protest during Round One over the adjudication of a Biology question. The matter was referred to the relevant consultant, who advised that St. Augustine’s be awarded partial marks because the question was from the school’s own set in Round One. The decision was communicated by the Quiz Mistress at the end of Round Three.

READ ALSO: NSMQ 2026 tracker: One-eighth results, today’s fixtures and quarter-final race

Primetime said the decision was subsequently challenged by officials of Anlo SHS, leading to agitation and disruption in the auditorium. The consultant was then asked to explain the basis of the decision in an attempt to restore calm, after which the contest continued through Round Four.

However, during Round Five, while the first riddle was being asked, the coordinator of Anlo SHS and another teacher reportedly began shouting and instructed their contestants to leave the stage.

Primetime said repeated appeals from the Production Team for the contestants to remain and allow the contest to continue were unsuccessful, with the Anlo SHS contestants leaving the stage.

READ ALSO: KiDi confident of winning TGMA Artist of the Year again: ‘I can and I will’

A teacher from Kumasi High School subsequently also instructed that school's contestants to leave the stage, and they followed suit.

In its decision, Primetime said the NSMQ rules expressly prohibit direct communication between school officials and contestants during the competition.

According to the organisers, teachers from both Anlo SHS and Kumasi High School directly communicated with and instructed their contestants to leave the stage during an ongoing contest, resulting in the abrupt halt of Contest 9.

READ ALSO: Shatta Wale discloses he has a son named Jedidiah living in London (VIDEO)

Primetime further explained that the walk-off occurred while the contest was still in progress and that the disruption made it impossible to resume the contest without compromising its integrity and fairness.

The organisers noted that contests at other venues using the same set of questions had already concluded by the time the matter was being resolved.

Primetime therefore ruled that the actions of the teachers and the subsequent walk-off by the contestants constituted a breach of the rules governing the fair and orderly conduct of the competition.

As a result, Anlo SHS and Kumasi High School were withdrawn from Contest 9 of the One-Eighth Stage.

St. Augustine’s College, which remained on stage and was ready to continue the contest, was declared the winner of Contest 9 and will progress to the next stage of the 2026 NSMQ.

Primetime Limited said it remains committed to maintaining fairness, discipline and the integrity of the NSMQ, and urged all participating schools, teachers, coordinators and contestants to comply with the rules and procedures governing the competition.