-encourages other children to join the excitement
THE Guyana Chronicle on Friday honoured its first batch of top-ten achievers who participated in its Online game, Master Mind Quiz Corner, at a simple presentation ceremony at its Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park offices. The honorees are for the period of June 12 to July 9. The game was officially launched on May 12, 2011 at State House, with the intention of engaging students preparing for the National Grade Six Examinations and to also serve as a tutor, social network and interactive learning tool for children within that particular age-group.
It primarily seeks to challenge the minds of children below the age of 13 who are currently preparing to write the examination, thus boosting their confidence, fostering the spending of quality time among parents and children, encouraging more productivity on the computer, and promoting positive networking among students of diverse backgrounds.
The brainchild of none other than Company Chairman, Mr. Keith Burrowes, the idea brings to the Web an Online educational game designed to stimulate thinking, challenges, encourages and offers general practice to Fifth and Sixth Graders. 
In commending the Guyana Chronicle and all those who worked on developing the programme at its launching, President Bharat Jagdeo was quoted as saying: 
“I think it’s going to make a big difference among our kids as we reinforce this competitive behaviour in a collegial kind of atmosphere. It also expands the knowledge-base of our kids, so I am very very pleased with it.”
At the time, he’d also committed to supporting the game, given that the concept was timely, in the sense that it came just when the government was executing its One Laptop per Family (OLPF) project.
Speaking also at the May launching ceremony, Mr. Burrowes had said that the game focuses on competition among children.
“We built it, and as apart of building it, we had the involvement of the students; we got their views. There was the involvement of the students and the teachers… Some of the benefits are direct, and some of the benefits are indirect,” he said.
One such benefit, which will be given to the top five winners, is the opportunity of having their own ‘Early Savers’ bank account, thanks to the interest shown in the project by one of its sponsors, the Guyana Bank for Trade, Industry and Commerce (GBTI). The idea was said to encourage early and responsible saving among these young participants.
Looking down the road, Mr. Burrowes feels there is scope to further develop the game, thereby making it more interactive for children the world over, including those in places like Toronto, New York and the Metropolis.
“One such idea,” he postured, “is the addition of webcam tools and applications so that children could compete with each other while seeing each other.”
The game has to date attracted scores of children from all across the country, and so far, an average of 4000 questions have been recorded.
At Friday’s presentation ceremony, first place winner, 12-year-old Reshan Rahim of Saint Gabriel’s Primary said he began playing the game shortly after the launching a few months ago.
“It helped me a lot in all of my subject areas, and it also helped me with my ‘Common Entrance’, especially some of the things I didn’t know about,” young Reshan said.
Coming in second was Shanae Harte of the New Guyana School who said that while the game was somewhat of a challenge to her, she found it quite interesting, since it was an extra lesson apart from that which she was taught at school.
“I started playing the game a little after the launch, and some of the things I didn’t learn in school it helped me with,” she said.
Third Prize winner, 12-year-old Vani Ramnarain of Montrose Primary said she enjoyed being a part of the Online game. “While it was challenging,” she said, “it led me to think more and helped me a lot in school.”
In the fourth position was Onicia Bollers, whose mother, on receiving her prize in her absence, said that her daughter has been playing the game since its inception, and that one of the good things to have come of this is that it has afforded her the opportunity of widening her knowledge.
Taking the 5th spot was young Morvinia Jeffery who also said that she found the game quite challenging and that it has helped her to be more effective in school.
The five other children at the ceremony also received prizes for their efforts at playing the game.
All the parents present agreed that the Chronicle initiative was a good one and commendable, as it gives children the opportunity of being challenged even while they are outside of the classroom. It was also felt that the venture should be a continuous one, with parents urging other children to make every effort to come on board with the Chronicle and join in the competition.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Mr. Burrowes said while he drew his inspiration from his four-year-old nephew, it took him two whole years to actually get the project off the ground.
“I initiated it to collaborate with GX media, and I tried for two years before I got something of worth,” he said, adding that the project received the blessing of President Jagdeo who is always on the lookout for such activities.   
“The President has a desire to promote these extra-educational activities; he is a patron of these activities,” Mr. Burrowes said.
And while there were a few challenges, he said he and the team that worked towards the further development of the game were able to successfully pull off the project.
“For this reason, I am also proud to be the Chairman of this Board …,”Mr. Burrowes said.
Noting that works are being initiated to take the programme one step further by introducing it to Guyanese children who live abroad, Mr Burrowes said:
“Because a number of the questions are based on Guyana, it benefits our children a lot and this builds a lifetime foundation for them.”

The most critical aspect of the quiz, he said, is the knowledge gained from it, apart from making the children more competitive and successful at what they do.
“While parents are also involved in assisting their children, they must be the ones to figure these things out for themselves,” he told those parents present.
He also lauded the technical team for their efforts in making the game a success, and said they will be looking at new ways to further improve the project.
Making up the technical team are: Master Mind Quiz Liaison Officer and Chronicle employee, Mr. Akash Persaud; and consultants, Messrs. Kevin Sukhdeo, Courtney Perry and Girendra Persaud.
Speaking also at the ceremony was Chronicle General Manager, Mr. Nandkumar Puran, who lauded Mr. Burrowes for conceptualizing such a successful initiative that seeks to make an impact on the children of Guyana.
“This is a very good project for our children, and without Mr. Burrowes, this could have never been done. It also puts our papers in the spotlight more, and for this, we are very grateful,” Mr. Puran said.
Students between the ages of 10-12 years are eligible to play the game, but to do so require their obtaining a copy of the Guyana Chronicle newspaper and filling out the coupon before submitting it to the Company.
Entry forms can be sent either directly to the Guyana Chronicle, or through the respective schools of participating students, with the stipulation that it must be sent with the written consent of their parents or guardians.
Once received, an account will be created in the player’s name, then he or she will be contacted with the relevant information. Players earn points in the game by answering each question, which is worth one point, correctly.   
Players are given 60 questions to answer each day, and at the end of every quarter, their scores are tallied and the highest scorers win prizes.
Through this undertaking, more children are expected to: be educated about Guyana and other current events; have their computer and creative skills enhanced; be exposed to culturally-appropriate alternative online activities; and develop healthy life skills.
Some of the other entities supporting this initiative financially are NT Computec and Starr Computers among others.
Participants for the period July 10 to August 6, 2011 can visit the Mastermind Quiz Corner’s website tomorrow to find out whether they have achieved a winning position.