Oman is participating in the fourth round of first international competition recognising excellence in the development of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) skills among students.
The Sultanate is among 99 countries from around the world taking part in the multi-week competition which kicked off on July 1 and concludes on September 25, 2020. Selected to represent Oman as the national team this year is North Al Batinah Team under the supervision of the Ministry of Education. Team Oman, with Radiya al Ajmi as coach, consists of six students of Grades 9 to 11 from different schools.
Commenting on the competition, team member Shahd al Maqbali said: “The title of the this year’s competition is ‘Connecting Communities’ in light of the pandemic-imposed lockdown that can led to the isolation of societies and the suspension of most activities. The competition aims to develop STEM skills among students and spread STEM culture in various societies, thus helping foster the growth of a generation with the right skills to face the challenges of the future.”
According to Hawraa al Nuaimi, also a team member, this year’s competition three types of challenges: 20 social media challenges and 5 technical challenges, in addition to interviews with inspiring STEM figures from around the world.
Madona Samer said: “I participated in a lot of robotics competitions and technical projects, but this participation is very different. I have learned from the experiences of other countries around the world to implement STEM in my life.”
Ghadeer al Kishri stated: “For me, First Global is not just a competition, it is a large community that includes many individuals from different environments and different cultures, and designs. It also includes interesting and useful challenges that allowed everyone to present their cultures and experiences.”
Fatima al Ajmi added: “Participation in this competition has given me the opportunity to learn new information and new skills and exchange experiences with others. It allows me to interact with other teams from different countries.”
Emtenan al Hamdi noted: “I find this competition one of the most creative competitions. It develops the leadership skills of the participants and sheds light on a number of innovative personalities from which I learned that failure is the beginning of success.”
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