Tyrone Iras Marhguy, an exceptionally intelligent former student of Achimota School and a Rastafarian, has addressed the rumours surrounding his exclusion from the contestants representing Achimota School in the 2023 National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ). These rumours suggested that his initial controversy regarding admission into the school played a role in his exclusion.
Initially, Marhguy was denied admission into the school due to his refusal to cut his dreadlocks. However, he was later admitted following a court order. This led to speculation that the school had victimized him by not including such an exceptional student in the final team for the quiz competition.
Marhguy has clarified that his exclusion was not a result of victimization. He explained that he did not meet a major requirement for the quiz competition, as he had not studied biology. Despite his outstanding performance in mathematics, physics, and chemistry, which earned him a place in the long list of contestants, the school made the decision to drop him from the final team due to his deficiency in biology.
“I got into the first fifteen and was in the team. But moving forward, it was still Biology. Regardless, it was as if he couldn’t afford to not have biology because it would put everything on the other contestant [the only person who studied Biology]. And if that’s the case, we are going to have a problem with the Problem of the Day [a round in the quiz competition]. If it is a biology question, it is a catastrophe because I can’t do anything. I can just watch him. Alright, I was learning the Biology and all that but they [ those who were eventually selected] had been doing it for about three years,” Master Marhguy revealed in an interview with the media.
He also acknowledged the key role played by Achimota School in his success at the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the Science and Maths Olympiads. He explained that even though he put in his best, the contribution of his former school was integral to his success.
