Durban — Next week, two schoolgirls from Estcourt High School will fight for the title of the smartest kid in the land in the IIE Varsity College National Schools Quiz regional finals.
Grade 11 Estcourt High School pupils Vyn Goremusandu and Aarya Bhikraj will go head to head with 80 pupils from across South Africa in the regional finals at the Varsity College Westville campus on September 20.
If they are successful, they will be included in the eight competing for the winning spot in the final round in Gauteng next month.
To make it this far, the duo went up against pupils from public and private schools around Durban, the South Coast and North Coast – in one of the first rounds of the annual quiz held at The IIE Varsity College Durban North's campus on September 6.
Scoring 6th and 4th spot respectively in the top 10, the pair are now on track to fend off the competition in the upcoming second round.
Teacher Tasneem Loot said that the girls study by doing general knowledge quizzes on their own. She also designs and sends quizzes for them as much as she can.
“At the moment they are busy with exams, so I’m trying to keep it to a minimum,” Loot said. She said she is very proud of the girls because their general knowledge, in general, is rather vast.
“I send them extra general knowledge quizzes, and because we have a long drive, we actually went over a lot of questions on the way there, from Estcourt to Durban,” Loot said.
She said that the school got involved in the quiz through her. She is in contact with Varsity College because they deal with the Grade 12s in their school, and they sent her the email and she said okay. She spoke to her principal and he was all for it.
Loot said the principal tries to develop pupils as much as possible.
“This is the first time we’d be entering the general knowledge quiz if they happen to go all the way to Joburg. If they happen to win, I think everybody will be so proud of them and it will serve as an example for other learners in the years to come that they should try because every opportunity is available to them. They just have to take it,” Loot said.
IIE Varsity College communications manager Sarnelia Mandapalli said: “We were so excited to see so many learners attend The IIE’s Varsity College National High Schools Quiz. Our Durban North campus welcomed and hosted 42 learners, some from far and wide, such as Estcourt.”
“We were thrilled to see two of Estcourt High School’s learners being placed in the Top 10, who will then participate in our regional rounds taking place on September 20 at the IIE’s Varsity College Westville campus. We wish all learners all the best.”
For more information on the National High Schools Quiz, visit https://www.advtech.co.za/the-iies-varsity-colleges-national-high-schools-quiz
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