Books, brains and breaking news: 16 schools move to the semi-finals in ST's What's The News? Quiz

Straits Times

19-05-2025

Students participating in the first preliminary round of The Straits Times' quiz competition What's The News at St Gabriel's Secondary School on April 15. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Books, brains and breaking news: 16 schools move to the semi-finals in ST's What's The News? Quiz
SINGAPORE – From global headlines on the tariff war to news about sports and popular culture, more than 6,000 students recently put their current affairs knowledge to the test.
A total of 16 schools, including Nanyang Girls' High School and Naval Base Secondary School, have made it to the semi-finals of the current affairs quiz competition organised by The Straits Times, after preliminary rounds kicked off in April.
What's The News? is an inter-school interactive quiz competition organised by ST as part of its 180th anniversary outreach, and is supported by the Ministry of Education. The Central Narcotics Bureau is a partner.
Students aged 15 and above from local secondary schools, junior colleges, polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education were tested on their knowledge of news and current affairs.
The competition consists of an individual online quiz in the preliminary round, followed by arena-style team games in the semi-finals based on current affairs questions.
Four best-performing teams will then head to the final contest with a game show format, with a $4,000 cash prize for the team in first place. The final will be held at the NUS University Cultural Centre on May 23.
The schools that finish second, third and fourth will win $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.
Through this, ST aims to encourage young people to be more balanced consumers of the media through regular discourse on current affairs with friends and family, allowing them to step out of 'echo chambers' present in the polarised media landscape, said the competition's organising team.
More than 6,000 students from 50 schools – across secondary and tertiary institutions – took part in the preliminary round.
Teams from the top 16 schools have earned a spot in the semi-finals – a series of four telematch games – which is taking place on May 21 at Our Tampines Hub.
ST editor Jaime Ho with Secondary 3 student Ammar Emran Putra Sulaiman during the inter-school interactive quiz competition, What's The News?, on April 15.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
ST editor Jaime Ho said: 'We don't give our youth and children enough credit. We sometimes think all they want to read about is K-pop or memes, but we found through our interactions with them that they were very interested in things happening in our community, like the shophouse fire in River Valley, or global issues, like how tariffs would affect us in Singapore.
'Reaching more than 6,000 students through the preliminaries is something that we're really excited about. We are so glad that the schools and students lent their support, and are our partners in improving news and media literacy among our young.'
Students have been preparing for the semi-finals – which will require physical activity and teamwork – by reading the news daily across different platforms. Some students have even come together with teammates to quiz each other using Kahoot!, an interactive quiz tool.
Tampines Meridian Junior College student Yew Shang Hong, 17, said he has been reading up on current affairs, including global news.
He added: 'There have been a lot of headlines (on politics) or even when it comes to trade, especially with Trump's tariffs. These articles have a lot of interesting points, like whether it's a good thing for those countries or is it actually hurting their economy?'
What's The News? travelling showcase at Naval Base Secondary School on April 25.
ST PHOTO: WHAT'S THE NEWS? ORGANISING COMMITTEE
For Naval Base Secondary School student Alexis Eng, 15, preparing for the semi-finals has seen her reading more widely to be exposed to different viewpoints and broaden her understanding of unfamiliar topics.
'I know the quiz isn't just about having the right answers, but about staying curious and passionate about learning... To me, it's about improving, not being perfect,' she said.
Her positive disposition towards learning heartened her teachers, who found the competition to be about more than just current affairs.
Mr Daniel Troy, 32, the teacher leading the team of students from Naval Base Secondary, said: 'I think (the students have) been actually quite passionate in developing not just their knowledge, but also their critical thinking skills, and appreciate some of the complexities of real-world issues.'
Regardless of the outcome, the school is proud of the effort that the students have put in, he added.
Read the news and slay the quiz: A recap
First preliminary round of The Straits Times' quiz competition What's The News? at St Gabriel's Secondary School on April 15.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
The preliminary round tested students on their knowledge of news and current affairs via a 30-question online quiz with a 30-minute limit.
This included topics from local issues such as how much in SG60 vouchers seniors will get, to wider questions about Oxford English Dictionary's word of the year and the kidnapping of Chinese actor Wang Xing in Thailand in January 2025.
Students who took part in the quiz said they found that the wide range of topics tested went beyond topics usually discussed at school, opening their eyes to how current affairs can be applicable to their daily lives.
Temasek Junior College student Chloe D'Mello, 16, found that the quiz exposed her to content on topics like politics, science and technology, which are covered in her General Paper lessons.
'The quiz tested us on very current bits of current affairs, which made me realise how much is going on in the world beyond the classroom. One example that stood out to me was the question about Chinese academics naming newly discovered spider species after Jay Chou's songs.' she said.
What's The News? host Rishi Budhrani (left) with ST Schools editor Serene Luo.
ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN
Out of the 50 schools, six schools, including Pasir Ris Secondary and Nanyang Junior College, had their preliminary round hosted by local stand-up comedian Rishi Budhrani, who turned out to be a highlight of the competition, said ST Schools editor Serene Luo.
Ms Luo, whose team produces publications and content like IN, Little Red Dot and TL;DR for students, said that students were very focused on getting a ticket to the semi-finals.
'In some schools, teachers led the charge by giving their students articles to read; in others, the students did their own preparation by reading news sites, following news sites on social media, or sending articles to their own friends, too,' said Ms Luo.
At one school, students gathered outside the lecture theatre to take a photo with their prelim quiz scores, showing it off like a badge of honour, she added.
Feeling Fomo? Catch the heat of the prelims here
More learning through fun
A travelling showcase, designed to look like a bookcase, will visit schools and public spaces from April to June.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
A travelling showcase, designed to look like a bookcase, will visit schools and public spaces from April to June.
Hoping to spark further discourse on current affairs among young people, the interactive showcase features informative panels and fun activities, such as the Catch the Lie panel, which gets participants to identify which statements are fake news.
By completing an activity sheet at the showcase, visitors stand a chance to win exclusive merchandise such as keychains, laptop stickers, notebooks and a Nalgene water bottle.
Key objectives of the display include showing how staying in touch with current affairs helps young people make better decisions, and to encourage them to maintain a balanced and healthy diet of media consumption.
It will also be available to the public at Our Tampines Hub on May 21 and outside Punggol Regional Library from Jun 2 to 16.
Try out the quiz
Members of the public can have a taste of what students went through in the preliminary round here: https://str.sg/st180-quiz
Here are some questions.
1. How much in SG60 vouchers will seniors 60 and above receive in 2025, as announced in Budget 2025?
a. $600
b. $800
c. $1,000
2. Chinese TV actor Wang Xing was rescued on Jan 7 after disappearing in Mae Sot, a Thai town bordering Myanmar. Who kidnapped him?
a. Jealous fans of a rival
b. Criminals running a fraud farm
c. Wildlife poachers
3. In October 2024, two amateur photographers stumbled upon a rare snake, which had not been seen in Singapore in 64 years. The snake is called _________.
a. The Peters' keelback snake
b. Banded krait
c. Oriental whip snake
4. Oxford University Press, publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary, chose __________ as its 2024 Word of the Year.
a. demure
b. lore
c. brain rot
5. According to career and recruitment experts, fresh graduates in Singapore starting their careers in 2025 can look out for growing job opportunities in the following two areas:
a. Aeronautics and shipping
b. Green energy and artificial intelligence (AI)
c. Fintech and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions)
6. The Central Narcotics Bureau rescued _______________ during drug raids in homes in 2024. Who did they rescue?
a. at least 10 neglected children
b. at least 10 neglected pets
c. at least 10 neglected elderly or disabled people
ANSWERS: Q1. b, Q2. b, Q3. a, Q4. c, Q5. b, Q6. a