Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary) Wins at POSB-NLB Kids’ Lit Quiz 2016 And Will Represent Singapore at the World Finals

Singapore, 23 April 2016 – Which book is the Disney film “Frozen’” based on? If you know the answer, you might have a chance against Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary), the national champion from the POSB-NLB Kids' Lit QuizTM.

The POSB-NLB Kids' Lit QuizTM is an annual literature competition for children aged 10 to 13. Organised by the National Library Board and supported by POSB, the quiz challenges young minds with questions taken from different genres. The children were tested by Quizmaster and founder of Kids' Lit QuizTM, Mr Wayne Mills.

The event was graced by Ms Low Yen Ling, Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of Education & Ministry of Trade and Industry, and saw 10 teams compete to be the fastest at five intensive buzzer rounds. Methodist Girls' School (Secondary) emerged as the champion, winning a chance to represent Singapore at the Kids' Lit QuizTM World Finals in Auckland, New Zealand, in August.

"Winning is an amazing feeling. We had read as much as possible to prepare for the quiz, and now that it has paid off, we are excited to represent Singapore," said Secondary One student Elizabeth Chua, age 13, Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary)'s winning team.

First and second runner-up positions went to two teams from Nanyang Primary School and Clementi Primary School respectively.

"Reading is a good avenue for children to learn, broaden perspectives and ignite their imagination. The Kids' Lit Quiz competition provides an opportunity for our children to demonstrate their literary awareness to their peers in Singapore and from all around the world. We want our children to be avid readers with a thirst for knowledge. The continued support from partners, such as POSB, enables us to work hand in hand with our community to motivate our younger generation to Read More, Read Widely and Read Together," said the Minister of Communications and Information Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim.

NLB has been organising the Kids' Lit QuizTM in Singapore since 2014, providing a novel way to encourage children to read. Over 100 people were at the DBS Auditorium to witness students pit their literary skills against one another at the internationally-acclaimed literature competition.

 “Kids’ Lit Quiz is a great platform for children to showcase their literary knowledge as well as to interact with other young readers. Their strong passion for reading and vast interest in literature is very impressive and encouraging. We wish students from Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary) the best of luck at the Kids' Lit QuizTM World Finals in August,” said CEO of NLB, Mrs Elaine Ng.

The POSB-NLB Kids' Lit QuizTM saw 89 teams from 51 schools (30 Primary and 21 Secondary schools) participating this year. Preparations began in March at a Literary Boot Camp in March, before the students competed in the heats and semi-finals for a chance to face off with top teams at the National Finals.

DBS Singapore Country Head, Mr Sim S. Lim, said, "The level of competition and knowledge displayed at the POSB-NLB Kids' Lit QuizTM is truly extraordinary. The quiz has exemplified how reading can be fun and rewarding, and we are delighted to have embarked on such a unique partnership with NLB."

The international "Literature Olympiad" was founded by Wayne Mills in 1991 and has since spread across the world, with national competitions being held in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Canada, the USA, Australia and Hong Kong, in addition to Singapore.