Munroe Road Hindu School student wins DATT diabetes quiz

MUNROE Road Hindu School’s Vivek Supersad-Maharaj emerged as the champion of the Diabetes Association of TT's (DATT) third annual National Primary School Quiz held on Friday at Daaga Auditorium at the University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine .

The ten-year-old, who dreams of becoming an astronaut-pundit, outshone over 800 participants to secure his victory in the final round of the competition.

Speaking with Newsday, Vivek’s mother, Shalini Supersad-Maharaj, described her son as a quiet and anxious child who found confidence through the competition.

"The preparation took a lot out of him as he had to memorise the diabetes booklet and videos while balancing his schoolwork."

She said his school conducted mock competitions to help students get ready, not just for the questions, but for the competitive environment.

"Through the support of our family and the school, he was able to do it and I couldn’t be prouder."

The DATT quiz is part of its Diabetes Education and Awareness in Primary Schools (DEAPS) initiative, aimed at promoting diabetes and general-health education among students.

The quiz comprises three rounds: a preliminary round where students study the KiDS diabetes booklet and DATT information booklet and complete an online quiz, a semi-final round and the final round. The quiz is open exclusively to standard-three students.

DATT president Dr Andrew Dhanoo highlighted the importance of such initiatives, making light of a 2017 study showing 63 per cent of secondary school students were at risk of being overweight or obese – a figure he estimates is higher post-pandemic.

Dhanoo praised the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health (MoH) for their efforts in removing unhealthy, sugary foods from schools and emphasised the need for preventative health measures in the school curriculum.

Rotary area governor for San Fernando-South Brian Ramatally, MoH director of non communicable diseases Dr Maria Clapperton, and Diane Baldeo Chadeesingh, technical advisor to Minister of Youth Development and National Service Foster Cummings, all echoed the significance of the competition.

They stressed the importance of sharing knowledge, promoting healthy lifestyles, and supporting local health initiatives.

"Prevention will always be better than cure," Clapperton advised, urging students to "get up and move more."

MP for D'Abadie/O'Meara and Minister in the Ministry of Education Lisa Morris-Julien described the competition as "nail-biting" but emphasised that the primary goal was learning rather than winning.

She encouraged students to apply their new-found knowledge to foster healthier lives for themselves and their communities.

UWI dean of the faculty of science and technology Prof Brian Cockburn, Clapperton and author Kieba John were judges of the quiz.

Kerwyn Garcia, SC, husband of President Christine Kangaloo, was also in attendance.