Some 146 students from different English medium and English version schools won prizes at the 14th Inter-School Bangla Olympiad held at the International Hope School premises in Uttara, Dhaka.

Adviser to the Ministry of Industries, Housing and Public Works of the Interim Government Adilur Rahman Khan was present as the chief guest at the award distribution ceremony while director general of Bangla Academy, eminent writer and educationist Dr. Mohammad Azam was also present as the special guest.

Four students won first prizes in the Bangla quiz competition, three in the drawing competition, three in the essay competition, one in the oral presentation competition while International School Bangladesh(ISD) won first place in category A in group dance and Mastermind English Medium School won first place in category. In addition, three people won first prizes in poetry recitation and six in music.

In the day-long programme, the contestants participated in various age-based categories in essay writing, recitation, dance, singing, drawing, quizzes and public speaking.

IHSB Principal Roksana Zarin and Chairman Timothy Donald Fisher spoke at the inaugural ceremony in the morning.

Chairman Timothy Donald Fisher said, “Our Bangla Olympiad is about Bengali language, culture and history. We want to showcase the culture of this country to the world.”

Principal Roksana Zarin said, “Bangla Olympiad has become a national competition for English schools for one and half decades."

She added: "Not only national, I would say, Bangla Olympiad is spreading to the international arena as well. Every year, along with local students, foreign students from different schools are also participating in the Bangla Olympiad.

She said English medium and English version schools of the country pay tribute to the language martyrs during the language month through this competition.

This year too, as in previous years, the country's eminent educationists, writers and artists served as advisors and judges for this competition.

The judges included eminent musicians Sujit Mostafa, Shahin Samad, Priyanka Gop, Tanvir Alam Sajeeb, Azizur Rahman Tuhin, dancers Zuairia Mouli, Shanta Shahrin, painter Professor Md. Alptagin.

The school was established in 1996. Since its establishment, in addition to studies, this school has been working tirelessly in cultural and intellectual pursuits.