Classmate All-Rounder announces grand final winners

In the 2023 edition, CAR was held over the last few months engaging 4.5 lakh students from 2,764 schools, across 33 cities in the country.

Joseph Emmanuel, director of Academics, CBSE, graced the event as the chief guest. The occasion was also enriched by the presence of esteemed judges, who have exhibited proficiency in diverse fields, such as Saina Nehwal (former World No 1 Badminton player and currently training new talent), Swanand Kirkire (multi-faceted writer, actor, playback singer) and Sangeeta Phogat (wrestler and dance show participant), who extended words of encouragement to all the finalists and winners.

Aligned with the recommendations of the National Education Policy 2020, which emphasizes experiential, discussion-based, discovery-oriented, and enjoyable education, Classmate All-Rounder aims to nurture students toward versatile skill development beyond academics. The CAR Platform, an intellectual property developed by Classmate, serves as a nurturing ground for school students to showcase multiple skills including general knowledge, writing, physical fitness, group discussion, public speaking, creativity and performing arts.

The challenge consisted of competitions in these multiple skills conducted across three rounds — school, city and national finals. After rigorous evaluation of these multiple skills, students were awarded All-Rounder scores, which are national percentile-based scores. This system aims to motivate students to benchmark themselves against their peers, making the All-Rounder score an aspirational achievement to include on their resumes. The programme also introduces the Star School Rating, assessing schools based on overall student participation in the All-Rounder event, individual student scores and school infrastructure facilities. It encourages schools to develop comprehensive infrastructure, fostering a culture of innovation, interactive learning, flexibility, and practical application.

Speaking about CAR and the national finale, Vikas Gupta, chief executive, education and stationary products business division, ITC, said, “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the winners of the CAR Challenge, and I wish every participant an educational journey filled with self-discovery, development of well-rounded capabilities and having a fulfilling learning experience. With a focus on these new ways of learning and recognising students for their all-round accomplishments, along with rewarding schools that prioritize holistic development, Classmate All-Rounder strives to establish an ecosystem where holistic development takes precedence. Classmate is dedicated to playing a key role in bringing the vision of the National Education Policy to fruition and fostering the comprehensive growth of students across India.”

He added, “The guiding motto of Classmate is enjoy learning, and we aspire to be a constant companion in the learning journey of India's student population. Our commitment involves close collaboration with CBSE, ICSE, state and other education boards. Classmate is dedicated to celebrating students and recognizing the unique potential within each child.

Along with All-Rounder, Classmate brings to life its motto of enjoy learning and growth of students through its entire range of other offerings, like origami notebooks that encourage creativity and critical thinking, augmented reality notebooks educating students on important STEM concepts in an engaging immersive format, the Interaktiv Artscape, to let students unleash the true artist in them, and the new Myclassmate app, providing engaging games for skill development and capability-building.