DUBAI // A steady, quick hand on the buzzer and extensive preparation helped two young students prove they had the know-how to win a nationwide school information-technology (IT) quiz.
Madhur Singal and Madhav Subramanyam, both 17, from Delhi Private School, Sharjah, won the fourth edition of the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) IT Wiz competition. The event, held at the Indian High School in Dubai yesterday, had 363 teams from schools across the UAE taking part.
Each team was made up of two pupils and 726 children participated. “We prepared extensively for this competition,” said Madhur, “reading websites, newspapers and Wikipedia to build up our knowledge of the industry.”
They pulled ahead of their rivals in the last round of topics and they will now represent the UAE in the international finals in India at the end of the year.
The duo were runners-up last year but were determined to claim the top spot this time round.
“We had practised for about three or four hours a day for a month or so for this event, but I think we will have to do even more before the international final,” said Madhur.
They admitted to being nervous, especially when they were trailing in the opening rounds. “We stayed calm and were always confident that we could catch up and that’s what happened,” said Madhav.
Hundreds of pupils took part in the preliminary contest before the top six teams took to the stage.
At times raucous, the finalists went through five rounds answering various IT and computer-related questions that appeared on a large screen.
The winners took home an iPad Air, along with a goody bag filled with electrical gadgets. The six finalists received tickets for the Indian Premier League cricket matches. Alexander Thomas and Karthik Mallya placed second. Both 14 years of age, they are students at Our Own High School, Al Warqa.
TCS says there is an important aspect of staging these competitions.
“The world as a whole, and the UAE in particular, is moving to a knowledge-based economy,” said Varun Kapur, a TCS vice president.
“By staging these kinds of competitions, we are in a way educating them about IT but it’s not done in a classroom.”
The firm has been running the contest across India for many years.
nhanif@thenational.ae