Gandhinagar:  It’s competition time once again. About 700 students and teachers from the rural schools of Gujarat are all set to show their IT talents at the State Level Competitions of the National Rural IT Quiz to be held at Town Hall in Gandhinagar on 16th August 2012.
 
The National Rural IT Quiz, an initiative and encouraging step for the students of rural areas, to increase the awareness about Information Technology and the possibilities in the field, is all set to have its State Level Regional Quiz competition at Town Hall in Gandhinagar on 16th August 2012. About 520 students from Std. VIII to XII, in 260 teams from 26 districts of state were selected at district level completion to participate in the state level competitions held at Town Hall, Gandhinagar on 16th August 2012. In addition there are 200 teachers from the rural schools are invited to witness the programme.
 
The National Rural IT Quiz is a programme is conceptualized and organized by the Dept of IT, BT and Science and Technology, Government of Karnataka in association with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). The winners will be awarded with cash prize along with other exciting prizes.
 
Gujarat Council on Science & Technology (GUJCOST), working under the aegis of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of Gujarat is coordinating the programme through its Community Science Centre network across the state.
 
GUJCOST had organized the district level quiz competition on 12th August 2012 and a total of 203 boys and 65 girls from 117 schools beyond city and municipality areas finally selected for the second round test in Gandhinagar.
 
Gujarat is an aspiring leader in IT and has made rapid strides in the field of Information Technology and e-governance. The state has a wide spread network of ICT in societal development practices. The Rural IT Quiz will give a chance to the school students of rural areas to learn, practice and explore more on ICT in their day-to-day practice.
 
Shri Ravi S. Saxena, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, Govt of Gujarat will grace the occasion as Chief Guest and to hand over the prizes to the winning team.
 
The program combines excitement, cooperative learning, and other participatory activities that help the children of rural areas stay ahead of the game and be prepared for their next steps into the university and the workforce.
 
The quiz will mainly focus on application of Information Technology across various sectors and aspects such as: the technology environment, the business, its people, new trends, legends etc.; the world of internet, and unique websites, IT buzzwords and acronyms; Personalia - International, national and communications companies; Software products, companies and brands. History of IT and the humorous side of IT and Areas where IT has made an impact - education, entertainment, books, multimedia, music, movies, internet, banking, advertising, sports, gaming, social networking, cell phones, etc.
 
At this state level competition, all the participating students will undergo a written preliminary round and the top six teams will qualify for the State Finals which will be conducted on the same day. The winning team will make their way to the National Rural IT Quiz. The winning team received cash award of Rs 10,000/- and winners trophy. The Runners-up received Rs 7,000/-. All the six finalists also received prizes. And all students and teachers will receive certificate and audience prize and IT quiz books.
 
The State and Regional Winners from Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Karnataka will be invited to participate in the National Rural IT Quiz National Finals at Bangalore on 18th October 2012. 
 
To and fro air travel and accommodation for the students and one teacher will be provided by TCS for the National Finals at Bangalore. The winning team will emerge as the National Rural IT Quiz Champion with Rs.1,00,000/- for National Winner and Rs.50,000/- for Runners up.
 
We take this opportunity to invite one and all to attend the programme and encourage the students and teachers towards the fascinating field of information technology for societal development.