HOW A SCIENCE QUIZ AT ST. AUGUSTINE CDSS SPARKED ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Science subjects were once the biggest challenge at St. Augustine Community Day Secondary School in Nkhata-Bay.

Many Form 4 students had already concluded that Science subjects were "too hard" and meant for students in government national secondary schools. This made the students lack interest and enough confidence in science subjects especially Chemistry, which was resulting in their poor performance. The average pass rate was below 50%.

As EESO team we realized that these students were not dull but were simply demotivated and lacked a platform to challenge themselves.

Our Intervention:
EESO decided to bring competition back to the classroom by sponsoring and organizing a Science Quiz Competition at St. Augustine CDSS, focusing on Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics.

We provided:
- Science revision materials and past MSCE papers
- Quiz questions and facilitators
- Prizes - Scientific calculators, an amount of K15,000 to the winning team and exercise books to motivate the winners

The Transformation:
What happened next was beyond our expectations.

Students started forming science study circles, staying behind after classes to solve equations, and helping each other in the laboratory. The quiz created a fire as everyone wanted to be the next science champion.

The Results:
- Science average scores improved from below 50% to over 75% within one term
- Students who used to fear science were prepared to face MSCE examinations with confidence.
- 7 of the quiz participants are now leading the top 10 in their Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) 2026 examination results, as declared by Malawi Examinations Board (MANEB).

> As one participating student said: _"Before, we thought science was impossible. This quiz showed us that if we work together, we can solve any equation."

At EESO, we learned that the spirit of competition needs to be ignited in a learner apart from just building laboratories to improve their performance in science subjects.

We are proud of St. Augustine CDSS science students. The future scientists of Malawi are here!