World contest for school children Odyssey of the Mind

Odyssey of the Mind (OM or Ootm) is a creative problem-solving competition for all school children, from Grade 1, all over the world. This international competition takes place once a year. For this competition a chill teacher functions as the guide for a team consisting of a group of kids. This competition is conducted by a group of kids working together as a team to identify a problem and possible solutions. Odyssey of the Mind was created in 1978 by C Samuel Micklus and Theodore Gourtley in USA.

Many countries in the world, like the USA, Russia, India, China, Australia, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Poland, Mexico, etc., participate regularly annually. Such competitions develop the minds and the capabilities of all participants. It is a pity that children from Sri Lanka have never participated in Odyssey of the Mind Contests, either nationally or internationally. The saddest thing is education in Sri Lanka is based on ‘tuition’ and not on developing kids. However Sri Lankan students, living abroad, participate in Odyssey Contests. My grand-daughter who was 13-years-old, came first in the Florida State Odyssey and eight in the international World Contest, in 2019. In 2020 she and her team won the first place in the Florida State. Unfortunately, the World Contest was postponed due to the current situation. She and her team worked on a project to show the possibility of creating a new car that will reduce the environmental pollution.

I strongly recommend that this competition be introduced to Sri Lanka students.

Dr A S Abeyratne

USA.