Members of Qatar Team, the winner of the International Scientific Competition organised by the Scientific Committee of IJSO 2019 and QEERI with their prizes during the opening ceremony of Olympiad.
Under the patronage of Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, the 16th edition of the International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO-2019) opened yesterday with a grand ceremony held at Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC).
Held under a theme ‘Inspiring Today’s Young Generation for the Skills of Tomorrow’, IJSO-2019 of Doha version received 409 students (boys and girls) from 70 countries, the highest number of participants in the history of the Olympiad.
The IJSO-2019 also, for the first time, turned green in its 16th edition in Qatar where the papers have been replaced with electronic devices for question and answers of the competitions making the event environmentally-friendly.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Minister of Education and Higher Education, H E Dr Mohammed Abdul Wahed Al Hammadi said that the Olympiad hosts a selection of the world’s highest-performing students to compete honestly and exchange expertise with other people from all around the world.
H E the Minister stressed that the Olympiad helps students develop their problem-solving skills, as well as develop their sense of creativity and innovation under a variety of conditions. He said that the event was unique, given that 409 students from 70 countries all over the world take part.
H E the Minister noted that the participation level is the highest in the history of the event. H E the Minister also said that Qatar’s hosting of the event reflects the country’s growing stature in the field, especially given that it is the first Arab country to organise the International Junior Science Olympiad.
H E the Minister said that the country’s strategy, laid by Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, will continue to be the development of the educational system in order to bring up a new generation that has access to the most modern skills and the most modern scientific research capabilities.
H E the Minister said that this edition’s theme is compatible with the strategy of Qatar for education, and with the State’s ambition of preparing a future generation full of distinguished individuals that can use their skills and gifts to benefit society. The Minister noted that the commitment to young talented youth was one of the outcomes of the world’s move towards a knowledge-based society.
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and Chairman of the Scientific Committee for IJSO 2019, Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Nuaimi, described the event which brings together a large number of delegations from around the world to Qatar as unique and that it is a source of pride for Qatar.
Dr. Al Nuaimi said we have been keen to develop this edition and create unique roles, which will be used for the first time in this Olympiad, through the long experience of Qatar in organising such global events in terms of preparation, organisation, results and overall satisfaction.
Spokesman IJSO 2019 Dr. Mohamed Yousuf Al Ali focused on the importance of science in all categories and components, scientific and cosmic discoveries and their impact on life.
President of IJSO Dr. Paris Joshi expressed his great thanks to Qatar for hosting this worldwide scientific event.
He said that students are the main players in this competition. “I wish you a good and healthy challenge that will show the best of you,” said Joshi inviting students to make this competition a turning point in their career.
He said that this year’s Olympiad was witnessing a positive change in competition with Qatar taking a leading role in making the competition environmentally friendly.
“We plan for electronic competitions to reduce the use of paper. IT has made a tremendous effort and I hope that we will all succeed in this endeavor because it will open new dimensions to competition,” said Joshi.
