Tokyo Cement All Island School Quiz

Friday, 7 February 2014 01:57 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Fab four to face off in brain game semi finals The tension is piling up as four teams of exceptionally intelligent young men and women set their sights on being crowned the smartest students in Sri Lanka – not to mention bringing home Rs. 1 million to their alma mater. The pressure has been building, as the final showdown draws closer. One team of four young people will finally be recognised by the entire country as the four brightest stars of Sri Lanka’s public education system. Millions of people, including parents, teachers and school children, will sit down in front of their televisions over the coming weeks as the Tokyo Cement All Island School Quiz enters its crucial semi final stage. As the battle draws to a close, one team edges closer towards the fabulous Rs. 1 million championship prize donated by Tokyo Cement. To date the company, which is Sri Lanka’s largest manufacturer and supplier of cement, has distributed Rs. 3.2 million in prize money to schools throughout the preceding rounds of the quiz program, telecast island-wide by Swarnavahini. “We are extremely excited by the intense competition that has lead up to the semi-finals of the all-island schools quiz and we wish our four competing teams the best of luck! We appreciate and admire the manner in which these students have embraced the

objectives of this quiz. That is, to support and motivate young people in their educational pursuits, by rewarding academic competitiveness. We truly believe the future of our country lies in the hands of these young people and by empowering them in their pursuit of knowledge we are giving them the keys to unlock this nation’s potential,” explained Praveen Gnanam, Special Projects Coordinator at Tokyo Cement. Since its launch in August 2013, the Tokyo Cement School Quiz has tested the cerebral skills of school going children in over 500 schools. To ensure equity in representation, Tokyo Cement and the Ministry of Education, sent out invitations to 9,700 schools across Sri Lanka, out of which 532 came forward with their champions, including those from the north and east. Of these 532 schools at the District level, only thirty-two teams qualified for national level competitions, and then there were eight left in the next level. However, Tokyo Cement, true to its objective of rewarding students on their quest for knowledge, distributed Rs. 100,000 to each of the 24 schools whose journey ended in the previous round of the program. Throughout the process, Tokyo Cement also continued to support these students from behind the scenes, providing transport and meals for all participants. The eight teams that made it through to the quarter finals have now been whittled down to just four teams. These champions hail from Kandy and Colombo. From the heart of the sacred city, Mahamaya Girls School of Kandy is the only team of girls that made it to the semi finals. Dharmaraja College is the second school from Kandy. In addition, Colombo’s Royal College and Ananda College are also in the fray. Just two of these four teams will make it through into the finals after each team goes through a gruelling session of (figuratively) butting heads with the three other competing teams. “We have been practicing and we feel our level of knowledge has also increased with each round,” said Shelani Palihawadane, Mahamaya’s quiz captain, who also did not forget to thank Tokyo Cement, Swarnavahini, the Principal of her school, and her teachers and teammates for their support. “Our team has been selected out of the best of the school quiz clubs. Of course, there is an element of luck in any competition, but our team has made it this far, and we have faced many competitors at district level, inter-district level and national level. So we are confident of doing well,” said Chandani Damayanthi, one of the teachers in charge of the Mahamaya quiz team. Dharmaraja of Kandy holds the distinction of having some of the youngest students participating in the quiz, with ages of its team members ranging from 15 – 17 years. “The lack of years is not a drawback. These students have had a great deal of practice, because we send them to competitions as much as possible and we conduct competitions at our quiz club. So although our team is young, they are seasoned quiz participants. I have great confidence in their abilities,” said Kasun Somaratne, the Assistant Principal and Master in Charge of the Dharmaraja, Rajans Quiz Club. The school proudly proclaims that it encourages its young students to join the Rajans Quiz Club to expand their horizons and broaden their vision. Royal and Ananda too, noted that the competition is heating up, but also said they found the quiz, which is recorded at the Sarasavi Studio, to be a unique experience. At the end of the next six weeks, two teams will be left standing, but only one will win the grand prize of Rs. 1 million, furnished by Tokyo Cement. The runners up too, will be handsomely rewarded with a Rs. 500, 000 cheque. The two teams that must give ground to make way for the two finalists will also be rewarded with Rs. 250,000 each. The schools promise that the funds will be reinvested towards encouraging their students forge ahead in the quest for knowledge.