Ahmedabad 21 February 2025: Furthering the importance and adoption of reading and language skills, Oxford University Press in collaboration with Apollo International School Ahmedabad, organized the Dictionary Quiz. Designed for students of grades 6 to 8, the quiz aimed to promotevocabulary building and foster language learning using dictionaries as an essential tool.
Hosted by national-level quizmaster Samanway Banerjee, over 500 participants competed at the branch level, and 30 finalists earned the opportunity to compete in the finale, which was held at the school’s Tragad branch.Team Einstein, featuring Ramya Madan (Grade 6), Suyash Abhani (Grade 7), and Jasleen Nagdev (Grade 8), emerged as the winners and proudly secured the Dictionary Quiz trophy.The interactive quiz is an initiative designed to cultivate a love for learning and improve reading habits among students. By incorporating engaging rounds of spelling challenges, word origins, rapid-fire questions, homophones, and anagrams, the quiz aims to make learning enjoyable and interactive, encouraging students to explore the fascinating world of words more deeply.
With the significant downward trend in reading habits due to increased screen time, dictionaries play a vital role in developing language proficiency, comprehension, and critical thinking skills.Aligned with the National Curriculum Framework’s (NCF-SE 2023) vision of supporting independent learning and multilingual educationwith dictionaries in classrooms, Oxford University Press enables students to expand their vocabulary and strengthen their linguistic foundation through its trusted resources.
Biju Thomas, National Sales Director at Oxford University Press India commented, “Dictionaries are more than just reference materials, and the Dictionary Quiz is anengaging format and initiative to encourage young learners to engage deeply with words and make vocabulary building enjoyable.”
Biju added, “Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is the world’s foremost historical dictionary of the English language and has the largest corpus of its kind. In India, catering to learners in multiple languages, OUP has bilingual dictionaries in 13 Indian languages. OUP is committed to supporting students and educators with high-quality resources, serving as an essential bridge for learning in their mother tongue and building a strong foundation.We are extremely proud to witness enthusiastic participation from students.”
“It is exciting to see students immerse themselves in competitions like this, reflecting their curiosity and passion for learning. We at Apollo International Schoolare thrilled to be a part of the Dictionary Quiz helmed by OUP, as events like these play a vital role in encouraging students to go beyond rote learning and develop a genuine interest in expanding their vocabulary,” said Mr RajeshKumar Raja, Principal, Apollo International School, Tragad Campus.
Winners were awarded certificates, dictionaries, and trophies for demonstrating their command of words, meanings, and contextual usage. Moreover, enthusiastic participation from educators alike reaffirmed the significance of language learning.
