“EngageXperts PRINCIPALly yours!”—an educational panel discussion devoted to promoting academic achievement and cutting-edge teaching practices—was presented by GradesUp.in and Spell-a-Thon Olympiads (MyCoolQ.com). This historic gathering of educational leaders from Kolkata and surrounding districts was unprecedented. Over 110 Heads of School took part in all, which allowed for a lively interchange of perspectives and experiences. Distinguished speakers from a variety of backgrounds and with a wealth of experience in the field of education graced the event, offering all in attendance priceless insights and expertise.

With guidance from IIM Bangalore, MYCOOLQ.COM recently brought the SPELL-A-THON OLYMPIADS to Kolkata schools. They declared their partnership with GradesUp.in, a mobile application that provides practice in the English language through multiple-choice questions. This app helped students improve their language abilities and self-assessment by offering content that was closely matched with the curriculum. It was created for kids in Classes 1 to 12.

With GRADESUP.IN serving as the practice partner, the goal of this session was to connect with students via the SPELL-A-THON OLYMPIADS ENGLISH VOCABULARY COMPETITIONS. The goal was to create a productive, interesting, and pleasurable learning environment by fusing technology with English instruction. In an attempt to have a beneficial influence on English language learners as quickly as possible, they sought quicker and more efficient outreach to parents and students through schools. 

There are now 75 participating schools, up from 52 the previous year. The 11th Spell-a-Thon Olympiads Grand Finale and Single Round Open Competition 2024, which will take place on July 6, 2024, at Gokhale Memorial Girls’ School in Kolkata, has already gathered 2,250 enrolled children. A huge event is planned for the entire day.

The purpose of this session was to get participants involved in a language-based objective competition using competitive English vocabulary. The questions were created to encourage children in Kindergarten to Class XII to develop their own critical thinking and linguistic skills.

The organizers of the session included Mrs. Anjana Mallick, Academic Advisor for Spell-a-Thon Olympiads, Mrs. Janaki Venkatramani, Founder of Spell-a-Thon Olympiads, and Mr. Harish Krishnan, Founder of GradesUp.in and a renowned Tech Entrepreneur, the mastermind behind the GradesUp.in Technology Platform.

The session was graced by guests of honor including Dr. Maria Fernandes, Vice Chairperson of the WB Commission for Women and Vice President of the AITC State Minority Committee, Prof. Shabina N Omar, Officer on Special Duty at the Higher Education Department, Government Of West Bengal, Mr. Imran Zaki, an educational and social entrepreneur, Prof. Dr. Hema Swaminathan from IIM-B and the Asian Development Bank in Manila & Mr. Rajendra Singh.

The session also featured insights from esteemed educationists such as Dr. Suman Kumar Mukerjee, Director General of The Bhawanipore Education Society College, Mrs. Sanghamitra Mukherjee of Gokhale Memorial Girls’ High School, Mrs. Mittra Sinha Roy, Former Principal of Adamas International School, Mrs. Suman Sood, Director of B D Memorial Junior School, Trustee of Indus Valley World School and Advisor to MCKV and South City International School & Mrs. Suchandra Bhattacharjee, an IELTS Trainer associated with the British Council. 

At the end of the session, exceptional contributions to education were acknowledged and celebrated with special prizes and accolades, including the much sought-after Governor of West Bengal Awards for Teachers. The successful conclusion of the session featured a competitive English vocabulary and language-based objective competition among the participants. The questions in the competition were created to encourage independent critical thinking and language proficiency in kids ranging from kindergarten to class XII. During the session, students were motivated and given value by the distinguished mentorship of IIM Bangalore, which included beautiful diplomas with the name of the institute on them as mentors, along with trophies, medals, and cash awards for champions at the Grand Finale Round.

Priyanka Dutta