Dear Editor,
It is now quite established that the much-anticipated yearly School Challenge Quiz programme has lost all integrity. The programme we now view, first aired over 45 years ago, is a shadow of its former self and to be very blunt, is a dishonest, conceited and downright unfair competition being paraded under the cloaks of "integrity" and "fairplay".
After a "Big Forty-Five", I think it's quite clear that there is a need for a fundamental change in the management staff and most importantly, the judging panel which administers the competition.
In the words of Senator KD Knight, it's time for these individuals to 'pack their bags and go'. At least that would be the honourable thing to do. At the end of the four-minute buzzer challenge in the recent match between the Wolmer's Boys School and St George's College, the scores were locked at 20 -20. The match then proceeded to a tie-breaker. A Spanish question was posed. The team from Wolmer's was clearly the one to press the signalling buzzer at first instance and then St George's.
The world at large who viewed this match aired on February 27, 2013 could attest to this, just not the designated judges who sat less than 10 meters away from both competing teams at the studio matchup. The question (whose answer was known by Wolmer's) was nevertheless given to St George's College at the cost of the hard work and sacrifice of the Wolmer's Boys School team and coaching staff.
St George's were declared winners after answering correctly, (after being wrongly acknowledged by the host.) At the request of an in-studio replay (to illustrate this travesty to judges) by the Wolmer's Boys' School, the coach was instructed to have a seat and told by the judges who are designated and paid to officiate any query on behalf of any either teams, that "they have had enough".
The right to an in-studio replay is given to all school within the competition and has been a part the game for 45 seasons but at the whim of judges on that day, this right was usurped. It never happened. This was clearly an indication of incompetence, shrewdness and downright unfairness by these officiators.
Alluding to the popular SCQ mantra, it is apparent that these judges lack the "skills, the knowledge and the temperament", (and let's add integrity), to move the competition to the next round. In the interest of viewership, TVJ should review the decision of these much embattled judges, who have found themselves once again in the hot seat.
Andre Silburn
Spanish Town
Schools Challenge judges should quit
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It is now quite established that the much-anticipated yearly School Challenge Quiz programme has lost all integrity. The programme we now view, first aired over 45 years ago, is a shadow of its former self and to be very blunt, is a dishonest, conceited and downright unfair competition being paraded under the cloaks of "integrity" and "fairplay".
After a "Big Forty-Five", I think it's quite clear that there is a need for a fundamental change in the management staff and most importantly, the judging panel which administers the competition.
In the words of Senator KD Knight, it's time for these individuals to 'pack their bags and go'. At least that would be the honourable thing to do. At the end of the four-minute buzzer challenge in the recent match between the Wolmer's Boys School and St George's College, the scores were locked at 20 -20. The match then proceeded to a tie-breaker. A Spanish question was posed. The team from Wolmer's was clearly the one to press the signalling buzzer at first instance and then St George's.
The world at large who viewed this match aired on February 27, 2013 could attest to this, just not the designated judges who sat less than 10 meters away from both competing teams at the studio matchup. The question (whose answer was known by Wolmer's) was nevertheless given to St George's College at the cost of the hard work and sacrifice of the Wolmer's Boys School team and coaching staff.
St George's were declared winners after answering correctly, (after being wrongly acknowledged by the host.) At the request of an in-studio replay (to illustrate this travesty to judges) by the Wolmer's Boys' School, the coach was instructed to have a seat and told by the judges who are designated and paid to officiate any query on behalf of any either teams, that "they have had enough".
The right to an in-studio replay is given to all school within the competition and has been a part the game for 45 seasons but at the whim of judges on that day, this right was usurped. It never happened. This was clearly an indication of incompetence, shrewdness and downright unfairness by these officiators.
Alluding to the popular SCQ mantra, it is apparent that these judges lack the "skills, the knowledge and the temperament", (and let's add integrity), to move the competition to the next round. In the interest of viewership, TVJ should review the decision of these much embattled judges, who have found themselves once again in the hot seat.
Andre Silburn
Spanish Town
Schools Challenge judges should quit
-->