Twenty government school students, including eight girls from central districts in Tamil Nadu, have bagged a unique opportunity to visit Dubai on an education trip after they secured the highest scores in the Basic quiz programme — a refresher series held for Class X students by the education department. To help students refresh their memory, the state education department conducted a special Vinada Vina for the students of Class X for eight consecutive weeks. As a reward for the students securing the highest marks, the education department has selected 89 students across the state for an education trip to Dubai.
Out of the 89, 20 students belong to the central districts of Tiruchy, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Pudukkottai, Ariyalur, Karur and Perambalur district. A senior education department official from Tiruchy district said, "The quiz was conducted every Saturday at the Hi-tech Labs across the schools in the state. Out of the eight tests held between September 19 to November 8, a total of 931 students were shortlisted. From them, a total of 89 students were selected upon writing the level two quiz held at the labs in district headquarters on November 15."
In the first level of the quiz, the questions varied from the topics of Tamil, English, Maths, Science and Social science. Each quiz had a minimum of 50 questions and the students were stipulated to complete the quiz test within a time period of 90 minutes. However, in the Level 2 quiz, apart from questions from various subjects, it included grammar and reading comprehension questions.
Following the selection, the education department has asked respective district educational officers to coordinate with the headmaster/headmistress of the selected students' schools and prepare necessary arrangements to apply for passports to the students. The teachers, prior to preparing the passports, are requested to collect willingness from the parents of the selected wards. Six teachers — three male and three female — have also been selected to accompany the students to Dubai.
Gunasekaran, Head Master of the Kottathur Government High School, said, "After collecting the willingness from the parents, we are currently undertaking all arrangements to help them get passports. We are preparing necessary documents and making sure the passport is received at shift speed. The Education Officer from the district is coordinating with us." According to the education department, the trip to Dubai is scheduled for December and will range between 3 to 5 days.
Expressing his happiness in getting selected for the trip, B Deepak, Student of the Inam Mathur HIgher Secondary School said, "I am out of words and I never expected something like this to happen when I wrote the quiz exam. As I told my parents about the trip, they were delighted and immediately urged me to go. I am looking forward to the opportunity and to witness a foreign country as I never imagined this would ever happen." Parents of B Deepak work as daily-wage labourers in the farmlands near their village.
