English Olympiad: Towards creating global leaders

English Olympiad successfully organised the selection round of Dhaka division at United International University on January 20 and 21. To be a global citizen, having fluency in English is essential. Keeping that in mind and with the motto 'Inspiring Leadership', English Olympiad embarked on a journey to find and cherish students with outstanding qualities, and to create future global leaders. With this event, the third season of the English Olympiad was initiated.
On the first day, Harunur Rashid Khan, adjunct faculty (associate professor), BRAC University, and former president of BELTA, delivered the inauguration speech. In his speech, he spoke about the needs of leadership and how Bangladesh has been enriched with the contributions of the youth that didn't hinge off even in this pandemic. Mohammad Aman Ullah, the chief organiser of English Olympiad, Russel A Kawser, founder and CEO at Mentorian, Nasrin Pervin, senior lecturer at North South University, Noore Jannat Meem, founder of 1 minute English with Meem, Limon Hasan, founder, English Baaz, Nafis Kazi, brand ambassador and marketing strategist, Upskill Classroom, also delivered speeches.
Around 10,000 students participated in the selection round divided into six different age categories: Kids, Small Starts, Junior, High Flyers, Trailblazers and Seniors. The selection round comprised written examinations across all categories where participants had to complete Tongue Twisters, Free Writing, Crosswords Puzzles and some other exciting segments.
Besides, the concept 'Think in English' was discussed to encourage participants to use English as their 'inner speech.' As for the communication part, the participants had to speak on stage on particular topics and to unveil their thoughts. Their expression of thoughts was the prime objective.
The participants as well as the visitors seemed excited during the event. Shabab Junayed, head of Public Relations of English Olympiad, says, "The feedback that we are getting from all the participants, guardians as well as the institutional clubs who partnered up with us, are huge. We cannot thank everyone enough to be a part of this season even during this crisis." The candidates from this round will go into the subsequent Theatre Round that will be held after all the divisional selection rounds are over.
United International University supported the English Olympiad throughout the event as a venue partner. The organisers extended their gratitude to the Financial Express, Bangla Radio 95.2 FM, Upskill Classroom, Cable News International, JCI, and other club partners for their support.