Accra: Tyrone Marhguy, the Rastafarian student who gained admission to Achimota School in 2021 following a landmark court decision, has shared insights into why he could not represent his school in the National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ).
According to Ghana Web, Marhguy reflected on his academic journey during an interview with Kofi TV on February 4, 2026, explaining how it ultimately led him away from participating in the NSMQ. He highlighted that subject mismatches played a key role in his absence from the competition.
"When I entered Achimota School, I was considering general science and had aspirations to pursue medicine or biology. However, when I arrived, the biology classes were full, leaving me with no choice but to study ICT instead. This shift exposed me to programming, which gradually steered my interests toward engineering," he said.
Marhguy acknowledged that this situation significantly impacted his chances with the NSMQ. He noted that Achimota School has numerous bright students, contributing to a competitive environment. Additionally, as he was not focusing on biology, he would have been one of the few handling the biology content if he had participated.
He added that his trial performance in math was commendable, but various factors influenced his exclusion from the NSMQ team. Reflecting on his performance during the NSMQ trial tests, he stated that despite not having a biology score, he ranked first in math and ended up third overall without any points from biology. When the Top 15 were selected, he was included in that group.
He concluded that the interplay of various factors, particularly the absence of biology, shaped the outcome of his NSMQ participation. With some humor, he acknowledged the complexities of the situation, adding that while he may not excel in biology, he does have strengths in math, and those differences define their specializations.