Ahotor FM’s Academic Showdown, a corporate social responsibility initiative of the station in partnership with the Tema West Education Directorate, is set to enter its third season tomorrow, Saturday, September 12, 2026, with a renewed focus on improving learning outcomes among pupils in the Tema West Municipality.
The school-based academic competition is aimed at creating an environment that encourages pupils to study harder, develop confidence and improve their academic performance through healthy competition.
The initiative, which brings together schools across the Tema West Municipality, has recorded encouraging results over the past two seasons, with pupils who participated in the competition performing well in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
Speaking on Ahotor FM’s morning show on Friday, September 11, 2026, the Quiz Master of Academic Showdown, Braveheart Ramsel Asonkey, said the first two seasons have demonstrated that the competition can make a meaningful contribution to the academic development of pupils.
According to him, the programme gives children the opportunity to prepare academically, build confidence and develop the habit of studying even before they sit for their final examinations.
He said the positive performance of some participating pupils in the BECE, including some who obtained single-digit scores, is encouraging and has strengthened the organisers’ determination to make the third edition bigger and more impactful.
Braveheart Ramsel Asonkey expressed the hope that the third season would further ignite the passion and desire among pupils to study harder.
He said the organisers would be looking forward to seeing an even greater positive impact when the next BECE results are released.
He also appealed to parents to support the programme by encouraging their children to participate, explaining that parental support would help sustain the initiative and motivate more pupils to take their education seriously.
According to him, the ultimate objective of Academic Showdown is not merely to crown winners but to use the competition as a platform to improve the learning habits and academic performance of pupils.
Speaking on preparations for the third edition, the Deputy Director in charge of Monitoring and Supervision at the Tema West Education Directorate, Madam Abena Mensah Brown, said the organisers have reviewed the first and second editions and introduced measures to make the third season more effective.
She explained that the competition will continue to cover five major subjects—Mathematics, English, Science, Social Studies and Computing.
The competition will involve pupils from Basic 7 to Form 1 and will be organised in four major rounds.
The first round, known as “Quick Think,” will require contestants to answer questions within a limited period, with only one attempt allowed.
Madam Abena Mensah Brown explained that the one-attempt system is intended to discourage guessing and encourage pupils to think carefully before answering.
The second round, “Complete It,” will require contestants to complete questions and provide the appropriate responses.
The third round, known as “Brain Booster,” will serve as the major challenge round, with Mathematics taking centre stage.
She explained that Mathematics has been selected for the Brain Booster round because of the need to encourage pupils to develop a stronger understanding of mathematical concepts.
The final round, dubbed “Final Sprint,” will provide contestants with another opportunity to accumulate points, including bonus points, as they compete for victory.
The organisers also say a buzzer system will be introduced as the competition progresses to make the contest more competitive and engaging.
On the selection of participating schools, Madam Abena Mensah Brown explained that the schools have been divided into two pots for the balloting process.
She said eight schools have been placed in Pot One, while sixteen schools are in Pot Two, with one school from each pot paired to determine the first contests.
Head teachers and education officers from the participating schools were involved in the balloting exercise, which she described as transparent and exciting.
Meanwhile, Braveheart Ramsel Asonkey said preparations for the third season are far advanced, with the participating schools, pupils and technical team ready for the competition.
He expressed confidence that Academic Showdown Season 3 will be bigger and more impactful than the first two editions.
He said the programme remains committed to supporting the educational development of pupils in the Tema West Municipality and creating an opportunity for them to demonstrate their knowledge, compete positively and develop a stronger desire to learn.
The organisers are therefore calling on parents, teachers, schools and other stakeholders to support Academic Showdown Season 3 and encourage pupils to actively participate.
The third season of the competition officially begins tomorrow, Saturday, September 12, 2026, and is expected to build on the successes of the previous editions while further strengthening the partnership between Ahotor FM and the Tema West Education Directorate in promoting quality education and improving learning outcomes among pupils in the municipality.
Story by Stephen Kwaku Owusu Mintah,Ahotoronline,Accra.