Students from different schools worldwide participate to test their knowledge about nature and wildlife.
Two students from Bengaluru — Arham Nilesh Gada, a student of grade 9, and Atharva Shastry, a student of grade 7, from National Public School (NPS), Koramangala — recently won the Wild Wisdom Global Challenge (WWGC). The WWGC is an educational initiative organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF-India).
The WWGC challenges students to explore various aspects of wildlife, ecosystems, and sustainability through quizzes, activities, and interactive formats. Students from different schools worldwide participate to test their knowledge about nature and wildlife. The challenge also helps them build teamwork and enhance their problem-solving skills.
This year over four lakh students from across the country and more than 2,500 schools participated and six teams from Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu made it to the WWGC National Finals. Among them, Arham and Atharva representing Karnataka won the finals.
National winners will represent their countries at the WWGC international finals, set to take place on December 12.
Atharva explained how her fascination for nature and wildlife helped her win the quiz. “I have had an amazing and enjoyable time preparing for this quiz, reading about reptiles and discovering more astounding facts, skills, and myths about all kinds of reptiles. Every day, my interest grows as I explore the diverse world of reptiles,” she said.
For Arham it was Jurassic Park movie he watched seven years ago that fostered his dream of becoming a paleontologist. “My interests include math, photography and wildlife, and one of my favourite things to do is watching and photographing birds. It brings me a lot of joy to observe and learn about animals, and it has been my dream to become a paleontologist, ever since I saw Jurassic Park seven years ago.”
“Preparing for WWF’s WWGC was very insightful, and I got an opportunity to learn more about some of the most interesting creatures on this planet. It involved a lot of reading and watching videos about reptiles. I think the experience opened my eyes to a lot of things that I have never thought about,” he further added.
A statement from the school said, “The students’ journey to the national stage was a team effort, with teachers, parents, and peers providing constant encouragement. Regular mock quizzes were held to simulate the competition environment and hone the students’ quick-thinking and decision-making skills.”
The competition was hosted by the quizmaster, Gerry Martin, a distinguished herpetologist, conservationist, and founder of The Liana Trust.
source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)