Sasol, the international integrated chemicals and energy company, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the Friends of the Environment Centre (FEC), announced that over 13,000 students across Qatar had participated in the seventh edition of the Qatar e-Nature Schools Contest. A virtual Awards Ceremony sponsored by Regency Sealine Camp and A Flower Each Spring was organised on 16 May 2020 where 12 winners from grade 1 to 12 were selected by an electronic draw system.
The exponential growth in the number of participants compared to previous years is attributed to the new online format of the Qatar e-Nature Schools Contest 2020, to include students in all schools and all grades from 1 to 12. The live contest ran from February 1st to April 30th, it included ten multiple-choice questions based on information in the Qatar e-Nature app and website. Questions covered a range of topics such as flora, birds, insects, reptiles, mammals, marine life, nature reserves, and Qatar’s ecosystems. Previous years have seen the contest open to primary school teams from grades 4 to 6, where schools nominated students to compete with other schools and go through qualification rounds to reach the finals and win.
Over 3000 students and teachers attended the virtual awards ceremony online and cheered to the 12 winners from different schools and different nationalities. The winners are
Ehan Shabeer Ali (DPS Monarch International School)
and Ayaan Ahmed Dalloul (Edison International Academy – Dahl Al Hamam) and Muhammad Bin Rizwan Yasin (Al Qods Model School for Boysand Selman Mubarak Houmaydi (Al Khor Model School for Boys) and Mohammed Junaid Iqbal (DPS Monarch International School) and Mariam Ali Muhammad Al Marri (Zainab Bint Jahsh Primary School for Girls ) and Najla Barhoumi (Global Academy International)
and Aisha Khaled Mohammad Al Thani (Al Andalus Primary Preparatory and Secondary School for Girls)
and Louloua Said Touwaym Al Kashouti (Maither Preparatory School for Girl) and Sally Al Kurdi (Blyth Academy)
and Khaled Al Moatasem Abdullah Mohammad (Al Shamal Secondary School for Boys) and Nof Mohammad Al Azba (Al Karaana Primary Preparatory Secondary School for Girls) from grades 1 to 12 respectively. All 12 winners received an one night full board stay for 4 people at Regency Sealine Camp.
The top five participating schools (The Scholars’ International School and Safiyya Bint Abdul Muttalib Primary School for Girls and Al-louloua International School – Al Dafna and Shantiniketan Indian School and Othman Bin Affan Model School for Boys) scored the highest percentage of participating students and were awarded with a Qatar e-Nature Trophy.
The contest, organised by Sasol under its corporate social responsibility umbrella encourages students to explore Qatar’s rich nature, learn more about the environmental diversity in the country, and gain knowledge in a fun way while staying at home during this Covid-19 pandemic.
Fatima Al Obaidli, Head of Programs and Activities at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education said: “We are very pleased to witness a record participation in this year’s contest, and the innovative and accomplished approach implemented by Sasol, to ensure that the Qatar e-Nature Schools Contest continues as scheduled albeit with the challenges posed by the COVID-19 situation. This educational and environmental initiative is not only a model of an effective partnership between the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Sasol and FEC, but also a testament to the very fruitful results of fusing education, technology, and a passion for our environment.”
Commenting on this initiative, Jack Saba, General Manager of Public Affairs at Sasol, said: “Sasol is incredibly pleased with the response to this year’s edition of Qatar e-Nature Schools Contest and congratulations to all the young winners. Since the competition launch in 2014, we have continued to grow in size and stature, enriching the initiative and opening the contest to a larger number of students. We aim to instil an appreciation of Qatar’s distinct nature. We are extremely thankful for the support we are receiving from The Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the FEC to bring nature to thousands of students in Qatar and I would like to thanks the Regency Sealine Camp Management and A Flower Each Spring for their support to this contest and for offering the prizes to all the winners.”
Launched in December 2013, Qatar e-Nature is a first-of-its-kind smartphone application seeking to inspire a love for Qatar’s natural beauty among the country’s residents. Application and website highlight flora, birds, insects, mammals, reptiles, marine life, ecosystems, and nature reserves in Qatar. Sasol created the app as part of its corporate social responsibility programme in partnership with Friends of the Environment Centre. The app features content in Arabic and English, which aims to support the objectives of Qatar National Vision 2030 to promote sustainable development by contributing towards an environmentally aware population.
