Pupils from the Lyceum International School won the World Water Day 2014 Junior Quiz hosted by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in Battaramulla, recently.
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The event – organized in association with the Sunday Times – was held to mark World Water Day, and saw over 150 pupils aged between 12 and 14 years old from schools in the Western Province of Sri Lanka compete with each other to answer general knowledge questions about water and the environment.
An audio-visual round added to the excitement, and a ‘water and energy’ section was included to mark the focus of World Water Day 2014.
The competition was intense and participation was enthusiastic. The opening round saw teams split into two groups with five finalists chosen from each group. David Van Eyck, IWMI’s Training and Capacity Building Officer, was the quizmaster.
“We were very pleased that the standard of knowledge was so high. All the schools averaged a score of 50 points,” said Mahen Chandrasoma, IWMI’s Senior Production Editor, who was a member of the examining panel.
Lyceum International pupils were awarded the World Water Day 2014 Gold trophy with an impressive score of 77 points. They also received a set of encyclopaedias for their school, and each member of the team received a Nikon digital camera and personalized certificate.
CMS Ladies’ College followed close on their heels with a score of 74 points to finish runners-up. They received the World Water Day Silver trophy, personalized certificates and MP3 players. Ananda College claimed third position with a score of 69 points. They received the World Water Day 2014 Bronze trophy, and each team member received a personalized certificate and book voucher. IWMI’s Director of Communications and Marketing, James Clarke, gave away the prizes. All team members and their teachers also received gifts and certificates in appreciation of their participation.
Dimuthu Amarasiri, coach and teacher-in-charge of the Lyceum International team said, “The topic is very relevant to us because Environmental Management is a subject on their syllabus. Our children were very interested in competing, and started preparing for the quiz months ahead. They’ve participated in several quizzes before, but this is the very first time that we’ve won.”
Nalika Weerakoon, teacher-in-charge of the Wycherley International team said, “My team and I found the quiz exciting, invigorating and inspiring. We enjoyed every moment of it, even though we were not able to enter the Finals.”
The quiz was organized by IWMI in association with the Funday Times, the children’s section of The Sunday Times. Although World Water Day was on March 22, 2014, the quiz was postponed to Saturday April 5, 2014, because of the end-of-term examinations.
by Renuka Jeya Raj