On the morning of Saturday 11 November 2023, curiosity was at an all-time high to see who would clinch the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Programme’s 2023 MarcFarlane Mbewe Science for All Quiz championship amongst the three competing schools – Stella Maris, St Mary’s, and Mulanje Secondary Schools.

The curiosity was the magic wand that attracted a lot of people who filled the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences auditorium in Blantyre to witness the intellect battle.

Mulanje Secondary School, taking the lead in the early rounds of the competition, sent a stern alert to fellow competitors, who made the intensity of the competition match its billing, leaving the awe-struck audience on the edge of their seats until the final round determined the winner.

After the painstaking aggregation of points by the three appointed judges, the quiz master Geoffrey Kazembe announced that St. Mary Secondary School demonstrated more intellectual prowess, and he declared the Zomba-based female geniuses as the winners of the 2023 MacFarlane Mbewe Science for All Quiz.

Science for All lead and founder Associate Professor Kondwani Jambo said the Science for All Initiative is making strides in motivating and encouraging students to study science.

“As a country, we have opportunities to do better in engaging schools and communities in science and the quiz is one of the ways to ensure that we motivate students to take up careers in science.”

Jambo further stressed that plans are in the pipeline to expand the science quiz competition for various schools across the country and extend it to the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region.

 Joyful, with a smiling face, a Form 4 student from St. Mary’s Secondary School Sharma Banda, who emerged as the best student in the MacFarlane Mbewe Science for All quiz, attributed the victory to hard work and thorough preparations.

“I feel very happy and fulfilled because St Mary’s Secondary School has won. As a team, we prepared very well and here we are, we have emerged victorious!” said Banda, who was awarded a branded new laptop.

Also present during the event was the mother of the late Marcfalane Mbewe, who, until his demise, served as the communications officer for Science for All. Nyembezi Mbewe said naming the quiz after her late son is a great honour and a rare gesture among employers.

This was the second quiz to be organised by MLW’s Science for All initiative, with the inaugural done last year in 2022, and it saw Stella Maris lift the trophy after edging Ndirande Hill Secondary School in the finals.