Bank of Namibia hosts National High School Competition finale

Competing for a grand cash prize of N$50 000
Junior Kapofi
The Bank of Namibia (BoN) hosted a groundbreaking finale of the 11th BoN National High School Competition this past week. This year, over 400 learners from around the country took part in the competition.

The competition tested learners' knowledge of the role of central banking and relevant financial literacy topics, including foreign exchange, and the Namibian economy.

However, only one school from each region, consisting of four-person teams, made it to the semi-finals, which took place earlier this week, and only four teams made it through to the finale.

Gabriel Taapopi Senior Secondary School from the Oshana Region, Putuavanga Senior Secondary School from the Kunene Region, Uukule Senior Secondary School from the Oshikoto Region, and Suiderlig Secondary School from the ||Karas Region were selected to take part in the finale.

Israel Zemburuka, director of strategic communication and international relations, said it was good to see how students progressed in the competition, especially as most of the schools do not offer economics as a subject.Big wins

Big prizes for grabs

A prize of N$50 000 was in place for the winning team, those in second place would walk away with N$30 000, and those in third place would scoop a N$10 000 prize, while the last-place team was set to win a Wi-Fi router for their school.

In the heated final rounds, Suiderlig competed against Uukule, and they were victorious after the sudden death round. In round two, Gabriel Taapopi beat Putuavanga five points to three. Gabriel Taapopi then took on Suiderlig for the N$50 000 cash prize.

The third round resulted in a tie of two points for each team, both of which were giving their utmost to win the ultimate prize.

In the sudden-death round, Gabriel Taapopi came out victorious, making them the 2022 BoN National High School Competition winners.

Suiderlig walked away with N$30 000 as the second prize winners, and Uukule walked away with N$10 000 in third place, while Putuavanga won a Wi-Fi router for their school as the last team in the top-four overall.

The competition was judged by economists’ Dr Reinhold Kamati, Dr Bernie Zaaruka and Dr Johan Van Den Heever.

In addition, the results were audited by Magreth Tjongarero.

Teamwork

The Gabriel Taapopi team was ecstatic with their win.

Team member Saara Niikela told The Zone that the team met frequently at libraries to prepare for the competition.

"We would assign a chapter to each individual in the team so that they could effectively explain the information to team members," Niikela said.

Moreover, they praised their teacher for tirelessly assisting them with the preparations.

They also thanked the Bank of Namibia for the amazing opportunity that they were offered and said they look forward to seeing what next year has in store for them.