I am always curious about names and titles – mainly to determine if they are specific enough to make sense.
For example in the 1960s and 1970s, there was a wonderful program called Aap Kitna Jaante Hain? Or Na Kila Kila Mada. Or Palmolive Pick the Sound.
They were perfect names as the program tested the general knowledge of high school students. Or test our listening ability where the clues would drive us crazy though they were hidden in plain sight like clues in Agatha Christie’s novels.
Where is Cuvu?
As a high school teacher, I was assigned to coach the students at Cuvu Secondary School and I am happy to say that we reached the finals that took place in Suva in a cinema house.
I heard some people in the crowd ask, where is Cuvu? Prior to this contest, the finals were between the “famous” schools – Natabua, Suva Grammar, Marist.
Needless to say, I was delighted that our little known school had hit the big time. Now Cuvu College is well-known.
Around the time, Cuvu Secondary won the Secondary School Inter district finals that was held at the then Prince Charles Park in Nadi. There was a similar refrain – where is Cuvu? But I digress…
The new educational quiz
Now, there is a program called IQ Active. The Permanent Secretary for Education, Selina Kuruleca, launched the 2024 IQ Active Competition at Jai Narayan College.
It is Fiji’s largest national secondary schools general knowledge quiz competition.
During the launch, PS Ms Kuruleca reminisced about the previous National Quiz, and talked about how such competitions were crucial for making students get academically astute – a welcome diversion and much needed from the garbage on social media.
She said, “This is exciting and I am delighted to be part of this event this morning as I can vividly recall that in my secondary school days the competition then was known as the ‘National Quiz’”
She continued: “This competition should encourage and nurture critical thinking. Instead of always thinking about a problem in one way, you need to be challenged to think critically and creatively, enhancing your problem-solving skills and intellectual capabilities. Read up and study as you normally would, and then think creatively and critically on best possible solutions.”
“In an era of overwhelming social media use, where reading and research are often overlooked in favour of scrolling through the internet, this IQ Active competition provides an opportunity for students to learn and research, thereby growing and developing their knowledge and skills in the process. Participating in IQ Active should boost your self-esteem and confidence by showcasing your skills and knowledge in a competitive environment.”
The Permanent Secretary advised, “Listen attentively, think critically, propose solid solutions, and clearly articulate your answers.”
This is sage advice and it would be great if the teachers followed them also
What exactly is IQ Active?
So what exactly does it mean and what does it test – intelligence or memory? Is it an IQ test or a cognitive test?
A “cognitive test” is not an IQ test. An IQ test measures intellectual functioning. A cognitive test does not measure intelligence. Yes, there are some questions in IQ Active that test IQ. But mostly it measures factors related to a person’s memory, awareness of things in our environment, when significant events happened like when was Fiji ceded to the Great Britain, when did the First World War take place, who was the first Prime Minister etc. So it tests memory more than intelligence
In fact, a person can pass a cognitive test but perform poorly on an IQ test. It is scored but not as an IQ. So it is relevant to IQ Active?
Who provides the questions?
One of the quiz masters, Liliana Pareti, mentioned that the questions are provided by the Ministry of Education or at least vetted by them. How do they come up with the questions?
Some time ago, quite a few questions were about the apartheid scenario in Africa and the contestants had no clue what apartheid was. And how does the knowledge about it test their IQ? It doesn’t. And quite a few questions are like that.
Misspellings and other grammatical gremlins
For the benefit of the viewers, the questions are transcribed on the screen. Does anyone in the ministry rigorously proofread the transcription? I watch the show occasionally and have noticed quite a few spelling errors. And that is totally unacceptable.
This issue is not confined just to IQ Active. Towards the end of 2021, at the request of the then Minister for Education, I had agreed to edit Social Science books prepared by the Curriculum Development Unit of the Ministry of Education.
I was stunned to see that they were fraught with errors. And it made me wonder about the skills of the people who prepared those books. For various reasons, I quit the project.
What type of questions make sense for IQ Active?
While I pondered on this, I went to a site called IQ test questions in Fiji (I was pleasantly surprised that there is a site like that) which claims to have a collection of IQ test questions tailored for learners in Fiji.
It has short-form videos to test your cognitive skills. Also there are brain teasers and general knowledge quizzes, designed to enhance problem-solving abilities while making learning fun.
Whether you’re preparing for an IQ competition (like IQ Active) or simply looking to challenge your grey cells (as Hercule Poirot would say), these are valuable resources that assess various aspects of your IQ.
Why are IQ tests important?
They can help gauge mainly your logical reasoning and critical thinking skills and overall cognitive ability. It is especially important for older folks like me since it is frightening how many people are afflicted with dementia.
So it is necessary to participate in these activities that keep our brain active. Whenever one of my daughters visits my wife and me, we make sure that we play Scrabble.
These games are also good for our self-esteem. The Fiji Times has a daily crossword puzzle and a few other puzzles like Soduku. They certainly are more mentally rejuvenating than posting mindless pictures on Facebook.
ARVIND MANI is a former teacher who is passionate about quality education. He lived in the US for 35 years and was actively involved in training youths to improve their speaking skills. The views expressed are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper. He can be reached at theinspiredteacher9@gmail.com
