Hyderabad, November 30, 2006: NIIT MindChampions Academy,
a joint initiative of NIIT and NIIT Mind Champion Viswanathan Anand conducted
the second Inter District Chess event, Chess Master 2006 for AP
State Government and Private Schools, today in Hyderabad. The NIIT MindChampions
Academy, running popularly in nearly 3000 schools in the country, exposes
students in the age group of 6-15 years to the world of Chess.
The second of its kind in AP, the NIIT Chess event had nearly 10,663
students from over 764 schools spread across 15 districts of AP, participate
this year. These are from amongst Government and Private schools where NIIT has
been providing computer education. NIIT is a project partner with the State
Government for their SSA/ DPEP initiative.
Marking the symbolic opening of the event, Smt. N. Rajya Lakshmi, Hon’ble
Minister of School Education, Adult Education, Libraries, Archaeology &
Museums and Archives, Govt of Andhra Pradesh and Dr. P Krishnaiah, IAS,
Secretary, School Education made their first moves in a game of Chess with the
winners from 15 districts. Mr K. Chandramouli, IAS, SPD, SSA/DPEP also graced
the occasion with his presence.
Speaking at the launch, Mr. K Rajendra Prasad, GM, NIIT K-12 said,
“The NIIT MindChampions Academy's National School Chess event is aimed
at initiating young minds on a path of excellence in academics as well as
sports.”
“We have received an overwhelming response from the state
Government and school children of AP who turned out in large numbers to
participate in this contest," he added.
Mahesh Kumar A of Rajahmundry Govt High School and B Deepak Kumar from
Zilla Parishad High School, Garugubilli, Vijayanagaram were declared as winners
in senior and junior category of the Chess Master 2006. In the private schools
category Mani Maran M, of DAV Public School, Safilguda, Hyderabad, P. Srinivas
Varma of DAVBDL Public School, Medak and Sai Srinivas of Nalanda Vidya Bhavan
High School, Hyderabad were adjudged as winners in senior, junior and sub-junior
categories respectively. The winners will go on to represent the state at the
South Zone clash, leading to the national level finals, at Chennai.
The national winner to be referred as ChessMaster will
receive the Chess Master 2006 trophy from Grand Master
Viswanathan Anand, at Chennai.
NIIT as project partner of the state in Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan / DPEP
initiative is providing computer education to over 3,00,000 students in 663
government schools in the state. The IT education and training major has so far
trained over 15,140 teachers from the state and has equipped schools with state
of the art IT infrastructure.
Launched in 2003 with an objective of initiating students into the world of
Chess, NIIT MindChampions Academy has today fostered nearly 3000 clubs with more
than 65,000 students as its members in schools where NIIT offers computer
education.
The students use computer-based tutorials, during and after school as a
virtual playfield to hone their skills in the game of Chess. Apart from
tutorials, promising Chess players get an opportunity to interact with NIIT
Brand Ambassador and Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand, in person at regular
intervals.
Leveraging its inherent strength in technology, NIIT MindChampions Academy
has created a virtual community of Chess enthusiasts in the country. The Academy
has Viswanathan Anand, NIIT Group Chairman Rajendra S. Pawar and President of
NIIT K12 L. Balasubramanian and few eminent world Chess personalities on its
Advisory Board.
About NIIT K-12
NIIT through its K-12 division is reaching 1.4 million kids in nearly 3800
government and private schools, equipping them with crucial IT skills to prepare
them for tomorrow’s knowledge society. NIIT is working actively to make
computers an intrinsic part of the lives of children and also those of the
socially and economically challenged sections of the society, who may never have
had a chance to integrate with the emerging 21st century environment, to give a
better prospect to their future. NIIT has been providing computer and
computer-aided education in State Govt. schools in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya,
Tripura and Noida (UP).
About NIIT
NIIT, Asia’s largest IT trainer, offers learning and knowledge solutions in
30 countries. Leading IT magazine Dataquest has conferred upon NIIT, the
Top IT Training Company Award 2006.
Rated among India's Superbrands (2003-05), NIIT’s education offerings
include: GNIIT, an industry-endorsed programme for students seeking careers in
the IT segments; NIIT Edgeineers, training programmes on advanced technologies
for IT professionals and skill up gradation programmes for engineering
graduates.
In the Corporate Solutions Business, NIIT’s offerings are bolstered by its
SEI CMM Level5 assessed learning services capability. The Corporate Solutions
Business offers integrated learning solutions that include strategic consulting,
learning design, content development, learning delivery, learning technology
services and learning administration. NIIT’s customers include many Fortune 500
companies, universities, technology companies, training corporations and
publishing houses.
For media queries, please contact:
Shivanjali Singh, NIIT Limited, 85, Sector 32, Institutional Area, Gurgaon;
Ph: +91 124 4293000; Email:
shivanjali.singh@niit.com Or