Twelve secondary schools have secured places in the semi-final stage of the 2026 Kwara State Tax Club quiz competition after emerging successful in the preliminary rounds.

The quiz is being organised by the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KW-IRS) in partnership with the state Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development.

The preliminary stages of the annual competition ended after four days of online Computer-Based Test (CBT) examinations involving secondary schools from across the state.

Of the 90 schools that registered for the competition, 87 participated in the online preliminary rounds, and 36 progressed to the second stage.

Following the conclusion of the two rounds, 12 schools four from each of the state's three senatorial districts qualified for the semi-finals.

The qualified schools are Government Day Secondary School, Ojagboro; St Anthony's Senior Secondary, Ebenezer High School, and Ar-Raheem International College, all from Kwara Central.

From Kwara South, the successful schools are Ansar-u-deen College, Offa; Oro Grammar School, Oro; Oyun Baptist High School, Ijagbo; and Hubbullah Islamic Model School, Omu-Aran.

Representing Kwara North are Government Secondary School, Lafiagi; Baptist Model High School, Kaiama; Government Secondary School, Ilesha-Baruba; and Lafiagi Senior Secondary School.

Speaking on behalf of the KW-IRS chairman, Mrs Shade Omoniyi, and the convener of the KW-IRS Tax Club Advocacy Committee (TACAC), Mrs Funmilola Oguntunbi, described the successful completion of the preliminary stage as another milestone in promoting tax education through technology.

She said the existing Tax Club online platform had been upgraded to improve the conduct of competition and provide participating schools with a more seamless experience.

The representatives of the commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Mrs Roseline Ayansola and Mr Imam Toyin Olanrewaju, who monitored the exercise and analysed the results, commended the participating schools for embracing the online competition and demonstrating commitment throughout the process.

The semi-final stage of the competition is scheduled to be held virtually in October 2026, with the top six schools expected to qualify for the grand finale in November, where they will compete for the overall prize of N2.5m.