WikiScholar: Wikimedia Bangladesh’s Initiative for School-Level Students

With the goal of sparking interest in free knowledge among students, fostering an inquisitive mindset, and nurturing a knowledge-based community, Wikimedia Bangladesh launched its first-ever school-level quiz competition—WikiScholar in 2026. A total of 18 schools from the Dhaka and Rajshahi divisions took part. The objective was not to identify the “best” students, but to introduce young learners to the idea of free knowledge and inspire curiosity beyond textbooks.

Now more than 25 years since its founding, Wikipedia has reached a stage of global maturity. Yet, in Bangladesh, awareness gaps remain—many students are still unfamiliar with it, and some have never even heard its name. Since its inception, Wikimedia Bangladesh has been working to bridge this gap. Despite limited resources and ongoing challenges, a dedicated group of volunteers has consistently driven initiatives to expand access to free knowledge. A key priority has always been engaging students—helping them not only use Wikipedia effectively, but also understand how it is built.

However, these activities have long been conducted somewhat sporadically. For example: almost a decade ago, in 2015, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Bangla Wikipedia, ‘Secondary level school programs’ were conducted in several schools across the country, which gained national and international acclaim. Later, though there was interest from the community, it wasn’t possible to organize such programs for various reasons.

The idea of WikiScholar emerged in October 2025 during an informal conversation between Rocky, Moheen Reeyad, and former chapter president Ali Haidar Khan, the idea of organizing a quiz competition for students arose. The concept—introducing students to Wikipedia through a structured, competitive format—was quickly embraced by the community. By November, planning was underway, and the programme was formally established under the name WikiScholar.

As a pilot initiative, the competition was limited to Dhaka and Rajshahi divisions—regions with some of the most active Wikimedia volunteer communities in the country. This made coordination more feasible in the first year. Despite logistical challenges, the response was remarkable: nearly 1,000 students registered from 10 schools in Dhaka and 8 in Rajshahi. Through leaflets, posters, and social media outreach, the initiative reached an estimated 10,000 students.

A set of 12 articles from Bangla Wikipedia’s Good and Featured articles was selected as the competition syllabus. The aim was simple but strategic: to familiarise participants with high-quality Wikipedia content and encourage them to become active readers.

The competition unfolded in two stages. The first involved school-level selection through both online and offline assessments. In the second stage, top-performing students advanced to regional finals. Participants were grouped into two categories: sixth-eighth standard and ninth-tenth standard.

Regional competitions were held in Rajshahi on 4 April and in Dhaka on 11 April. The top three participants from each category were recognised with books, crests, souvenirs, and certificates. Apart from the participants, parents and teachers were also present in this regional-level arrangement. They all praised this initiative and expressed hope to maintain its continuity in the future.

Post-competition feedback revealed a significant shift in perception. Many participants had little or no prior experience with Wikipedia, and some held misconceptions about its reliability. After the programme, however, they recognised it as a valuable and accessible knowledge resource. Feeling about it, a contestant wrote:

“I liked the arrangement very much. I couldn’t imagine every step would be completed so beautifully. I have never enjoyed such an event before—especially the behaviour of the volunteers was excellent.”

In parallel with the competition, Wikipedia workshops were conducted at multiple schools, including two regional sessions, further reinforcing learning and engagement.

This initiative was made possible by the collective efforts of volunteers from the Rajshahi, Chandpur, and Dhaka Wikimedia communities. Special thanks go to Yahya, Delwar Hossain, Sadman Sakib, and Salauddin for their tireless contributions in making the programme a success.

The enthusiasm and participation of students have been deeply encouraging. WikiScholar is more than a quiz—it is an entry point into the Wikimedia movement. With continued effort and iteration, it has the potential to evolve into a sustainable model for youth engagement, helping shape the next generation of Wikimedia contributors in Bangladesh.