Kolkata: The grand finale of the 12th edition of the National Spell-A-Thon Olympiads was held at Gokhale Memorial School for Girls on Sunday. The competition saw participation from over 85 schools and 55,000 students across the country. The event was mentored by IIM Bangalore.The Spell-A-Thon was not just about difficult words and spelling challenges; it also quizzed students between Kindergarten and Class 12 on the basics of English grammar, words and their applications, comprehension exercises, puzzles, and word games. The grand finale also featured an element of a subjective writing skills test.Chief academic advisor of MyCoolQ Anjana Mallick said, “We completed 12 years, and have consistently provided students with a platform to express skills, except during the pandemic. My role includes marketing to the interiors of the city, and most schools in Kolkata and its suburbs know about us. We are associated with the Satyam Roychowdhury initiative by Techno India group, which allowed us access to several schools in areas like Howrah and Hooghly.“Aligned with NEP guidelines, the olympiad aims at fostering creativity and confidence among students, making language learning exciting. “Our vision is to bridge the gap in English proficiency that affects reading comprehension and future employability,” said Janaki Venkatramani, founder of MyCoolQ and a Goldman Sachs scholar at IIM Bangalore. The initiative places emphasis on communication skills, school reputation building, and preparing students to be “future ready”.Held in a three-round format, the event had an inter-school final at the state level in the city. It ended with distribution of certificates and medals bearing the IIM Bangalore mentorship seal. Among city schools, the largest number of participants were from BDM International. “The questions were easy and fun,” said one of the participants.
