Pampore, Sept 22: Fatima Binti Farooq won the Mind Maze Season II state-level championship after five shortlisted students appeared for the grand finale in Pampore on Tuesday.
The initiative, organised by Endeavours Pampore, was aimed at giving students early exposure to the pattern and stages of competitive examinations while developing logical reasoning, analytical thinking, decision-making and communication skills.
The second season began with more than 100 participants who went through a three-tier examination process. Following successive rounds of evaluation, five students qualified for the grand finale.
The final round included a personal interview in which the shortlisted students were assessed on logical reasoning, analytical thinking, decision-making, general awareness and communication skills.
The final evaluation was conducted by a jury comprising Firdous Ali Wani, Dr Tanvir Hayat, Khurshid Qureshi, Advocate Nadeem Qadri and Aadil Bhat.
Farooq secured the top position and received a cash prize of ₹15,000, along with a memento and award.
Speaking to Kashmir Convener, Aadil Bhat said Mind Maze was conceived to provide students with an opportunity to move beyond conventional examination patterns and develop critical thinking, logical reasoning and decision-making skills.
Firdous Ahmad Wani said the programme was organised by educationist and environmentalist Aadil Bhat through his venture in Pampore and had attracted participation from a large number of students.
He said the participants were shortlisted through successive stages before five candidates were called for the grand finale.
“We interviewed all five students. We asked them questions and assessed them on different parameters. Finally, the winner, first runner-up and second runner-up were identified,” Wani said.
Wani said the programme sought to give Class 10 students an early understanding of the stages involved in competitive examinations, including preliminary assessment, descriptive examination and interview.
He said the interview also helped organisers identify the strengths and areas requiring improvement among the participating students.
“Our children have good communication skills. They can speak English very well and are also able to speak Urdu very well. Their speaking skills are quite good,” Wani said.
However, he said the students needed to strengthen their content knowledge and general awareness, particularly regarding culture, history, economy and current affairs at the Union Territory, national and international levels.
Wani said the feedback was conveyed to the five finalists to encourage them to broaden their knowledge and prepare for future competitive examinations.
He also appreciated the efforts of Aadil Bhat in organising programmes aimed at providing young students with exposure to competitive learning and developing their overall capabilities.
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