The SAIIA Western Cape Branch Interschool Quiz on International Affairs took place on 24 August 2023, once again demonstrating the promise of South African youth.
The quiz was created specifically to attract learners from all backgrounds in the Western Cape’s schools and to motivate them to read and discuss world news, particularly news and analysis regarding South Africa’s international affairs. According to program alumni, the quiz has influenced numerous generations of high school learners, many of whom go on to study or work in the field of international affairs.
This quiz differs from other ‘general knowledge’ quizzes on offer in that the focus is specifically on international affairs. Since 1993, nearly 4,000 learners have taken part from over 90 schools; some schools have participated every single year since the quiz started.
The quiz involves up to 50 schools from the various communities of the Western Cape. For new and developing schools, a pre-quiz workshop is offered where learners hear from previous quiz winners still involved in the Youth@SAIIA programme. The presenters introduce the learners to the field of international affairs, discuss fake news and other topical points of interest, and offer advice on preparing for the quiz.
Participants are tested on their reading of ten days of online articles—between 3 and 7 articles a day – taken from a variety of media outlets in the two weeks preceding the quiz and distributed by email to the schools via an appointed teacher contact. The questions this year ranged from the BRICS Summit, recent developments in Ukraine, Africa’s new free trade agreement to environmental and energy issues.
These questions were set by international affairs specialists from academia, policy think tanks, the diplomatic corps and the private sector. The spirited responses from the audience as the Quiz Master called for answers to the questions, once all answer sheets were in, testified to the strong teacher and parental involvement in the preparation for the quiz. Three tie-breaker questions settled the identity of the winning teams in the end.
The results of the quiz (top 10 scoring teams) were as follows*:
1st: SACS (Diplomats)
2nd: SACS (Ambassadors)
3rd: The Oracle Academy (Diplomats)
4th: San Souci Girls High School (Diplomats)
5th: Springfield Convent (Ambassadors)
5th: The Oracle Academy (Ambassadors)
7th: Garlandale High School (Diplomats)
8th: Cedar House
9th: Darul Arqam Islamic High School (Ambassadors)
9th: DF Malan High School (Ambassadors), who also received the Most Improved Trophy
* Where a school sent two teams, they were referred to as ‘Ambassadors’ or ‘Diplomats’. After the first three places, teams are noted as tied.
