Pupils aim for the stars in school quiz
sky is no longer the limit for pupils of the Springs Muslim School in Gauteng, who have set their sights on conquering the universe.
Four of the school’s pupils will represent the province at the national AstroQuiz finals in Cape Town in October. The quiz, organised by Sci-Bono and the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement, tests children’s knowledge of astronomy.
The Grade 7 pupils — Abeeha Saida, Adam Omar, Sameer Shaik and Samia Adegboye — represented the school in the regional heat of the quiz and were selected from the top 45 Gauteng schools.
The head of the school’s maths and science department, Naeem Shaik, said his pupils were “over the moon” and have started preparing for the finals.
“In the district and regional finals held in May and June, the pupils had to study astronomy and answer questions based on the topic. They did exceptionally well and made us proud. This competition was our first attempt and our pupils have set high standards,” said Shaik.
He added that the pupils had developed a strong interest in astronomy since winning the regional finals.
Shaik said he wanted to pursue a career in astronomy. “When I grow up, I want to be an astronaut so I am going to focus my attention on learning more about astronomy. I am fascinated with it and would love to travel through space some day,” he said.
Solomzi Butshingi, a senior education specialist for primary science in the Gauteng department of education, said the aim of the competition was to encourage pupils to pursue careers in astronomy.
“This competition is five years old, and since it was started pupils are keen to know more. Our hope is that one day we have South Africans making a difference and setting new standards for others to follow,” said Butshingi.