High school knowledge competition - First rounds

03.11.2012 Nguyen Khuyen vs. Lai Hoa (Vinh Chau)

 

 

On Saturday, 3rd of November 2012, two teams of five students each from two high schools in Vinh Chau district, Nguyễn Khuyến High school and Lai Hòa Junior High & High school, competed in a knowledge competition about climate change and mangroves. The event was jointly organized by the GIZ project together with the Department of Education and Training, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Forest Protection Sub-department.  

The local people living in the coastal zone of the southern Mekong Delta will be severely affected by the negative impacts of climate change such as increased intensity and frequency of storms and sea level rise. One of the aims of the GIZ project “Management of Natural Resources in the Coastal Zone of Soc Trang Province” is therefore to raise awareness of the local population and local authorities on climate change issues. Environmental awareness raising aims at promoting positive change. This can be achieved through behaviour change and communication approaches which recognise that presenting facts alone does not ensure behaviour change. Environmental awareness raising uses a range of communication channels and approaches to facilitate, rather than dictate, change. One of the communication channels the project uses this year is a knowledge competition among high schools in the coastal districts of Soc Trang province. 

The first challenge of the competition was a speech. The two speakers both performed so well that the judges awarded them equal points. The next task consisted of a multiple-choice answer contest. The teams were so knowledgeable that they both gave the correct answer for every question. Again the teams were still on equal points. The atmosphere in the audience heated up as every school had brought their supporters who did a great job cheering their team.  

The team members then all had their turn to battle one-on-one in a multiple-choice answer contest. Each pair of contestants were given two questions, and they had to race for their buzzer to get the chance to score points. The scores went up or down if the answers were right or wrong, with Nguyễn Khuyến High School finishing in the lead. 

Afterwards the teams had to guess the words of a crossword puzzle and the Nguyễn Khuyến High School could defend their lead.

While the teams prepared for their plays, the last part of the competition, the Master of Ceremony tested the audience with questions and prizes were awarded to the winners. 

The team plays were spectacular. Lai Hòa Junior High & High School was first on stage. The team had the audience going with their colourful costumes and entertaining performance. The play was a mythical performance, depicting the various Gods for the environment and appealing to the head God to do something to stop people harming the environment. The performance culminated in the Gods appealing to the audience to care for the environment.

Nguyễn Khuyến High School performed a moving and meaningful play that stole the hearts of the audience. Based on a true story, the play depicted the implications of climate change on the coast and the plight of coastal communities being inundated by storm surges and erosion of the dykes and the need for authorities to come to their assistance.

There was tension in the air as the judges calculated their score sheets. Finally, Nguyễn Khuyến High school had maintained their lead, by a very narrow margin, and will go on to the final in Soc Trang on 2nd December.

Overall both teams are winners - they have won the audience and they will soon win the television audience as the competition will be televised by STV1 as a series after the final. 

Special thanks to the Vinh Chau District People’s Committee who provided an excellent venue and support for the contest. Vice Chairman Mr Nguyen Chi Cong delivered a fine address to all guests. Without the tremendous support of the high school Board, the school principals, the teachers and the wonderful audience the competition would not have been that success that it was.

10.11.2012 Lich Hoi Thuong (Tran De) vs. Vinh Hai (Vinh Chau)

 

11.11.2012 Doan Van To vs. An Thanh 3 (Cu Lao Dung)

Following the 1st competition on 03.11.2012 , the next four teams of five students each from four High Schools competed in the knowledge competition on climate change and mangroves in Tran De and Cu Lao Dung districts on Saturday and Sunday, 10th and 11th of November 2012. 

As for the week before, the teams from Lịch Hội Thượng (Trần Đề District), Vĩnh Hải (Vĩnh Châu Town), Đoàn Văn Tố and An Thạnh 3 (both in Cù Lao Dung District), had to competitively show their knowledge and talent in three different tasks: a speech, a quiz and a skit performance. Again the dedication of the teams was impressive – the speeches were great and the teams and pairs battled it out in the quizzes. Every play was so well presented, each with their special stories to tell. The play performed by Lịch Hội Thượng High School depicted an interesting fight between two Gods: the Mountain Spirit and Sea Spirit fought for the hand of the princess of the Hung King. The play was based on a mythical folk-story about the glorious history of Vietnamese ancestors in dealing with floods and storms. This story was now told under the climate change context: both spirits needed to answer questions related to climate change and mangroves in order to win the fight. When the Sea Spirit was losing, he invoked a flood (representing sea level rise) to claim the princess back. In the end, the Mountain Spirit, who could use the protecting forces of the mangrove forest, succeeded in fighting against the wrath of the water spirit. The other three plays had similar stories about Gods for the environment and their pledges to protect the environment.

Every team was cheered on by a crowd of supporters and the atmosphere was bursting with energy. In the end, Vĩnh Hải and Đoàn Văn Tố High Schools were the teams that made it to the final where they will meet last week’s winner, Nguyễn Khuyến High School from Vĩnh Châu. The final competition between these three schools will be held soon, on the 2nd of December, 2012 in Soc Trang.

As one of the project’s environmental awareness raising activities, this high school competition was jointly organized by the GIZ project together with the Department of Education and Training, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Forest Protection Sub-department to raise awareness of climate change and the importance of mangrove forests. Although the six competing teams are from three coastal districts of Soc Trang province, people from the whole province will have the chance to learn about these important topics, since the competition will be broadcast on Soc Trang TV1 as a series.

Reported by Paul