Horlicks begins hunt for WizTeam Pakistan

'WIZKID 2010' set to be the largest inter-school competition to be held in South Asia.

LAHORE: The kool skeel fest competition that started in 2007 to provide an opportunity for students to express their creative talents will this year be organised as the Wizkid competition, Wizkid organisers stated on Thursday during an event held to introduce schools teachers, students and their parents to the competition.

Horlicks Wizkid spokesperson Sidra Iqbal said that the competition will test students’ creative, thinking and communication skills.  “It will test the character and competence of the students,” she said. She said that WIZKID 2010 will be the largest inter-school competition to be held in South Asia. She added that the goal of the competition was to build a stronger and sharper future generation.

The competition will initially be held at intra-school and inter-school levels in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. The winners will then compete in an inter-city competition to get a place in the Horlicks WizTeam Pakistan. They will represent Pakistan in the international-level competition to be held in India.

The competition is open for students from grades 5 to grades 12.

There are five competitive categories including: academics, co-curricular and extra curricular, social, sports, and special achievements.

Those selected for the final competition at the international level will be assigned a project in their respective cities. This project will be based on themes relevant to the cities and their residents.

The inter-school competition in Lahore will begin at Peerus Café on November 2, 2010.

Beaconhouse School Defence branch student Ali Chatha, who was the WizKid of 2008, said that such events were critical in building the personality of students. “We get a chance to interact with different people and to learn from people from other cultures,” he said.

Horlicks brand manager Uzma Rahman, who is organising Wizkid in Pakistan, said they will shortlist 65 students from among the 200,000 participants.

Ms Rukhsana, the British Council spokesperson, said that she felt that parents mostly emphasised on preparing their children to become doctors or engineers.

“I feel personality grooming and developing and polishing the talents in children is equally important but does not get due importance.”

Lahore Grammar School teacher Ms Yasmeen said that only classroom learning was not enough. The students, she said, needed to participate in such events to get a feel for real life.

Sofi, a broadcaster, said she was receiving several phone calls from students and their parents on her show about the competition.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2010.