67 quiz winners from govt schools to fly to Dubai

TIRUCHY: A group of 67 government school students from across the State are all set to take an all-expense paid dream foreign trip on Thursday morning after winning a quiz competition held in connection with book fairs that were organised at district levels some months ago.

The trip, led by School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, would also have a team of teachers and officials from the department.

When the district administrations conducted book fairs, the School Education Department had decided that it would sponsor a trip abroad for the winners of the quiz competition. Officials said the aim was not only to reward them for their performance but also to provide them with exposure that would help them in the future. All the selected winners are Class 11 students of government schools from across Tamil Nadu.

On Thursday morning, these students, accompanied by the Minister, officials, and teachers, would embark on the trip from Tiruchy to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. There, they would be taken to key tourist attractions and also to attend the Sharjah International Book Fair, the 41st edition of which is now under way.

Officials said it would be a four-day trip and the group would return to Tamil Nadu on November 13. On Wednesday, the students who excelled in the competition were brought to Tiruchy. Minister Poyyamozhi felicitated the winners and distributed prizes to all of them at a function held at the Tiruchy Collectorate. Later, they were taken on a visit to Big Temple and Sarfoji Mahal, two of the historic landmarks in Delta districts. Tiruchy Collector M Pradeep Kumar was also present at the function at the Collectorate.