Contest attracts 25 students [WATCH]

The inaugural New Straits Times (NST) Heard The News Junior Journalists Challenge took place, attracting 25 students from local schools. The participants read out NST articles in a news presenter style, earning points for creativity, diction, grammar, and style. Form Three student Shrilaxmi Harenath Rao emerged as the winner, followed by Form Five student Sanjanaah Mages Varan and Form Three student Qaseh Nazatul Nabila Mohd Ridzuan from SMK TTDI Jaya, who placed second and third, respectively.

Each winner received a trophy, certificate, and hamper. Shrilaxmi, who is 15, found the competition an engaging learning experience that allowed her to interact with news articles more effectively. Sanjanaah expressed her enthusiasm for media-related study pathways after attending the event. Qaseh Nazatul Nabila hoped the programme would expand to other schools nationwide.

The judges, including NST associate editor Najmuddin Najib and editor Intan Maizura Ahmad Kamal, aimed to make learning English fun and showcase students' speaking and presentation abilities. The event coincided with NST's 181st anniversary and was sponsored by Nestle. The competition was seen as an opportunity to overcome public speaking fears and unearth talents relevant to broadcasting, potentially paving the way for future journalists.

SMK TTDI Jaya's English teacher, Puvaniswarry Subramaniam, praised the competition as a valuable classroom tool for strengthening vocabulary, speaking skills, and higher-order thinking abilities.