Ultimate University Quiz 2023: And the champion is... Mbarara University!

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 ULTIMATE UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE 2023 

The curtain came down on an exciting Ultimate University Quiz 2023 on Friday as Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) was crowned inaugural champion after outsmarting Uganda Christian University (UCU) in the final held at the Vision Group head office in Kampala.

In the final showdown, presided over by Quiz Mistress Lydia Lakwonyero, UCU made their mark early, taking a hefty 50-point lead from the first-round on 80 points against MUST's 30.

But by the end of round two, the ground appeared to have marginally levelled as MUST made up a lot of ground by reducing the cumulative margin to only 10 points going into the third and penultimate round.

With the contest super tight and keenly watching viewers on the edge, the two teams returned for the next round with UCU leading by a delicate 10 points on 140 points.

MUST  knew their work was cut out.

Tables dramatically turned in the third round as the team representing the science and technology university answered the majority of their questions and peeled away from their opponents.

The Quiz Mistress brought this round to an end with MUST (270 points) leading UCU (180 points) by a massive 90 points. The Mukono-based university had to dig very deep to claw back into this one.

In the fourth and final segment — the rapid round  — MUST, sensing they were close to victory, correctly answered six of their 10 questions to eventually amass a winning total of 330 points against UCU's 220 points and be confirmed the champions.

And that was it. After a nerve-racking four rounds of quick-fire quizzing, the ultimate winner was finally known.

MUST had risen to the dizzying summit above 15 other participating Ugandan public and private universities in the knowledge-based competition that had been running since October 27.

Over the subsequent weeks, the contest got whittled down to the final two — and then the ultimate champion: Mbarara University of Science and Technology.

In the course of the exciting competition aired on Vision Group TVs, the teams involved had to outwit their opponents around questions molded from a diversity of fields: banking, economics, agriculture, current affairs, world geography, global history, science, sports, the arts, commerce and world trade.

For reigning supreme over the entire cast, MUST received equipment worth sh25 million and each winning student and their coach was rewarded with sh1 million and a laptop.

For emerging second, UCU received equipment worth sh15 million, while their students and coach each received sh500,000 and a laptop.

Victoria University, which finished third, was rewarded with equipment worth sh10 million and the team members and their coach got sh200,000 plus a phone.

Lira University, beaten by a margin of 30 points by Victoria University in the third-place playoff last Sunday, got equipment worth sh10 million and its team members, including their coach, received sh200,000 each.

'Quiz very popular'

"The quiz has been very popular among almost everyone in the country," said Vision Group's deputy managing director, Gervase Ndyanabo, moments before the final showdown was relayed live from a separate studio.

"And it brought a lot of excitement: the adrenaline, the questions."

He said the contest was mainly to encourage participating students to read widely and beyond their academic fields, as well as to increase public interest in reading current and civic affairs by following the quiz.

Equally significant, the quiz was to prepare the students for the competitive world, said Ndyanabo, who pointed out that during the competition, it was revealed that no profession had an advantage over the others.

The deputy MD thanked main sponsor Bank of Uganda and co-partners Centenary Bank, Georgina Optics and Net Studios Africa for throwing their wieght behind the initiative.

"The reason New Vision participated in this is, we take it as our responsibility to engage young people.

"It is so important that we engage young people at that stage. Sometimes, young people are more distracted than other people, so this is the kind of thing [with whih] you want to bring them together," added Ndyanabo, addressing guests at the awards ceremony held at the Vision Group head office in Kampala.

'Value to learners'

Ndyanabo thanked all the teams that made the competition a reality as well as a success, including the technical staff of Vision Group, and also congratulated all the participating teams.

He urged the sponsors to continue backing the competition for future editions.

In his remarks as the awards ceremony's chief guest, Bank of Uganda Deputy Governor Michael Atingi-Ego, thanked Vision Group for "conceptualizing the idea and undertaking the necessary work" required to see the project to fruition.

"I thank the CEO, Mr Don Wanyama, and his executive committee of management for providing an enabling environment for the staff of Vision Group to be creative and innovative," he said.

"It is one of those ways in which we can transform our institutions' productivity in the midst of volatile and a radically uncertain environment under which we are operating these days."

'Innovative spirit'

Atingi-Ego went on to appreciate the technical team of Vision Group, including the people who researched and came up with the quiz questions, the Quiz Mistress and the studio staff, "who aired the programmes via Urban TV and other local language channels".

He also hailed the support of the other partners.

"The bringing together of such diverse teams of sponsors is the power of public private partnership arrangements as a viable and efficient vehicle of delivering service to stakeholders.

"I am very grateful to the universities who accepted to participate in the inaugural competition. Their decision to participate in the new university quiz speaks to the good reputation of Vision Group as well as the innovative spirit of the universities," said Atingi-Ego.

"These universities have demonstrated their willingness to exploit opportunities to maximize value to their learners and other stakeholders. We thank the university senates and top leadership of those institutions for accepting to showcase their entities on national television," said the chief guest.

"And most importantly, we are very proud of the young women and the men who participated in these quizzes."

The central bank chief thanked the team coaches and technical teams who prepared the competitors, and also thanked the contribution of his own team (Bank of Uganda) "who worked tirelessly with Vision Group to hammer the details of the sponsorship agreement, contribute to the questions and other logistical arrangements".

'Academicians, always keep up to date'

Atingi-Ego also spoke of the relevance of the diverse disciplines explored by the quiz.

"It is no longer enough to be a specialist in economics. You need to appreciate psychology to better engage with different kinds of workers; finance, to be a good steward of organizational financial resources; and leadership, to influence others to attain the vision of the institution, among others."

He urged universities to "critically think about this model for the 21st century skilled worker as they decide their curricula. This requirement is also emphasized by the National Council of Higher Education. It is, therefore, important that our curriculum remains relevant".

The BOU Deputy Governor called on academicians to "always keep up to date to avoid repetitive examples for the same course unit, given their irrelevance in such a dynamic world".

"Academicians should endeavour to establish networks with practitioners so that the theory in the text books is enriched with the peculiarities of the workplace.

"These networks do not need the theory to be limited to high levels of research...they can also take the form of person-to-person and group-to-group arrangements, which have been made possible with the proliferation of social media."

MUST's journey to the title

 The Mbarara-based university had to shake off Bishop Stuart University (BSU) by a margin of 100 points in the quarterfinals to reach the semis.

In the last-four, MUST successfully battled Lira University to reach the final, before going on to claw their way back against UCU to eventually be crowned inaugural champions of the Ultimate University Quiz.

The participating universities included Makerere, Soroti, Gulu, Lira, Muni, Busitema, Mbarara, Makerere University Business School, Islamic University in Uganda, Bishop Stuart, Uganda Martyrs, Uganda Christian University, Bugema, Victoria and Kampala International.