Rin Bright Star Quiz Competition promotes multiple intelligence
Saturday, 2 August 2014 00:00
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Rin Bright Star Quiz Competition, a novel concept designed to recognise and reward multiple intelligence and hidden talents in school children in Sri Lanka, has been welcomed by students and mothers alike with a tremendous response. Rin Bright Star sponsored by Unilever Srilanka, while being held under the guidance and the supervision of the Education Ministry, is undertaken in collaboration with the Rupavahini Corporation. ‘Rin Bright Star’ is a unique concept that encourages and fetes multiple intelligence in school children in Sri Lanka.
Rin Bright Star Quiz Competition was formally inaugurated on 20 July 2014 in six districts throughout the country; Colombo, Kandy, Anuradhapura, Kurunegala, Badulla and Matara. Thousands of children and their enthusiastic parents were present at all the centres. The students present faced a written test that was conducted to select the first 500 participants for the Rin Bright Star Quiz Competition.
From the 500 students, the best 60 students will be selected at the second stage of the competition, which would be held in the month of August 2014. The selected 60 students will then be eligible to participate in the Rin Bright Star Quiz Competition held on Rupavahini. The Rin Bright Star would be crowned among these talented and champion 60 students. Rin would reward the winning student with Rs. 1 million in cash, with Rs. 700,000 being awarded to the winning student and Rs. 300,000 being awarded to the school, with the other participating students obtaining credible gifts.
“Every child born is talented in one way or another. The theory of Multiple Intelligence introduced by Howard Gardner, covers abilities such as musical – rhythmic, visual – spatial, verbal – linguistic, logical – mathematical, bodily –kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic. Every child possesses these qualities. The biggest problem in our education sector is that talents such as these are not identified and allowed to grow.
“But today, we have made it a point to identify these traits in the process of restructruing education and currently, plans are underway to do so. Accordingly, we believe that the parents have a challenging task ahead of them. Parents, along with teachers, must strive to identify the talents of their children. It is my belief that programs of this nature will encourage and create a greater stimulation as well as transform the mindset of the parents and society at large,” said Mohan Lal Grero, Deputy Minister of Education, Youth Affairs and Monitoring Minister for Skills Development, in his speech.
In addressing the gathering, Director General Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, Chandrapala Liyanage said that his organisation was pleased to actively participate in a venture that seeks to empower talented students. He further stated that as the National Television, SLRC always encourages programs of this nature, which enhances the knowledge of school children. He added that he had no doubt that this series would have high viewership ratings and also was pleased to be associated with the Ministry of Education and Unilever Sri Lanka in this regard.
“For Unilever Sri Lanka, Rin Bright Star is more than a quiz competition – it is an innovative platform that promises a major leap in knowledge measurement for Sri Lankan children. At Unilever Sri Lanka, we believe in extending sustainability to the community at large and we are thankful for the tremendous contribution from the Education Ministry and the Rupavahini in taking this concept to the children,” says Channa Tennakoon, Marketing Channel Communications Manager, Unilever Sri Lanka.
A unique feature in this venture was the effort taken to create awareness of the need for Multiple Intelligence among parents who were present. “It really opened my eyes,” says a parent who was present, “To the fact that children have so much potential beyond just book knowledge – they benefit from engaging in other activities such as sports, music, art, etc in which they may be exceptionally talented. We also learnt that it is important to find the time to spend with the children and listen to them.”
“The response of the children and their parents to Rin Bright Star has been incredible; which shows that the concept of multiple intelligence is more than welcome among the students,” says Fazlan Faizal, Marketing Manager – Rin, Unilever Sri Lanka.
Rin as a well known and trusted brand under the Unilever Sri Lanka umbrella has always been known for the brightness it adds to clothes and the brightness it brings to the lives of people. “We are certain that Rin Bright Star would be a monumental initiative that facilitates the children of Sri Lanka to shine and exhibit their talent,” said Faizal in conclusion.
