The Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Sasol and Friends of the Environment Centre Launch the Qatar e-Nature Schools Contest
Doha, Qatar – Evolving in its fourth year, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Sasol and Friends of the Environment Centre (FEC) announced the launch of the 2017 edition of the Qatar e-Nature Schools Contest. The competition aims at encouraging students to discover the beauty and the diversity of nature in Qatar. The competition will be based on a real-time quiz contest and on the information provided in the Qatar e-Nature smartphone application and website for all primary schools across the country.
The 2017 competition consists in an interactive contest in the form of a live contest in front of an audience in which teams have to answer questions immediately in order to gain points. Winning teams in the early rounds will go on to compete in the finals which will take place in April next year. Contest includes questions on birds, insects, mammals, reptiles, flora and nature reserves of Qatar, in addition to few questions from the curriculum related to the environment.
Commenting on the launch, Rima Abu Khadija, Director, Office of Curricula Standards at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, said: “The State of Qatar is keen to invest in educating the younger generation on the rich biodiversity of nature in the country. We are very proud to partner with Sasol and Friends of the Environment Centre who are giving incentives to our young students to actively learn about the nature in Qatar and showcasing the use of technology in enhancing students environmental awareness. This competition is also a great opportunity for those students to test, share and showcase their knowledge in an engaging and entertaining way.”
Frahood Al Hajiri, Director, Friends of the Environment Centre said: “Qatar e-Nature has been instrumental to further elevate the awareness about the different aspects of Qatar’s rich nature to the young minds in the country. We would like to warmly thank Sasol for their trust and dedication as we evolve into the fourth year of a fruitful partnership. Moreover, Friends of the Environment Centre recognizes the immense support that was given by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education for this unique application and schools contest. We will continue to work with Sasol in updating the information in the application and build on the success that we have achieved.”
Rigard du Plessis, General Manager at Sasol Qatar, said: “Raising awareness and discovery in the environment field is a key priority to Sasol’s CSR commitments to Qatar. Through the Qatar e-Nature schools contest and application, Sasol and its partners were able to instill passion for the nature to the future leaders of the country. Through the tremendous support of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the Qatar e-Nature schools contest has been engaging with all schools across Qatar. Sasol wishes all of the prospective students and schools the best of luck in this year’s competition and will continue to promote the wonders of nature, in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030 for an environmentally aware population and raising awareness about the environment through effective mediums of communication.”
The Qatar e-Nature contest will be held across all primary schools in Qatar. Teams of three will be formed from each school; the teams will have one student from years 4, 5 and 6 representing their respective school. Communication with all primary schools and teams selection process will begin from 01 December 2016 to 28 February 2017. The quarter and semi-final rounds will take place during the month of March and the finals and award ceremony will occur in April next year, where the winners will be recognized.
Launched in December 2013, the Qatar e-Nature application and website highlights flora, birds, insects, mammals, reptiles, nature reserves and soon the marine life in the country. 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. The Qatar e-Nature app has received many accolades and prestigious local and regional awards.
The user-friendly Qatar e-Nature app is available for download free of charge on Apple Store, Google Play and Windows Phone Store and on the website www.enature.qa. Active Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels allow users to keep tabs on the latest developments. The application and website is updated regularly, expecting marine life to be added soon to further benefit users of the application.
