In cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the Friends of the Environment Centre
Sasol announces launch of sixth Qatar e-Nature Schools Contest
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Sasol, and the Friends of the Environment Centre (FEC) announced the launch of the sixth edition of the Qatar e-Nature Schools Contest. The announcement was made at a news conference held at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and attended by representatives of the organizers, schools, and the media.
Organized by Sasol, the international integrated chemicals and energy company, the Qatar e-Nature Schools Contest encourages students to discover Qatar’s rich nature, learn more about the environmental diversity in the country, and gain knowledge in a fun, interactive way.
The contest covers all primary schools across Qatar, with each participating school contesting through a three-member team formed from primary 4, primary 5, and primary 6.
Taking place between December and April, the contest consists of four main stages. The first is the preparation stage, during which schools hold internal contests to form teams. This is followed by the quarterfinals, the semi-finals, and the finals. Four winning teams will be honored in an award ceremony, where they will receive special trophies and vouchers, with the vouchers for the first winners reaching up to 9,000 Qatari Riyals.
During the various stages of the competition, students will answer live questions to gain points in a competitive, entertaining, and educational atmosphere. Questions will cover various topics such as flora, birds, insects, reptiles, mammals, fishes, and nature reserves in Qatar based on information in the Qatar e-Nature application and its bilingual (Arabic-English) website.
Fatima Al Obaidli, head of programs and activities at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, commented: “The aim of the Qatar e-Nature contest is in line with the objectives of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the state vision; namely, to educate the youth and use technology in the education process. We thank Sasol and the FEC for their efforts, and we are pleased to continue our cooperation with them to achieve the best results from this leading initiative.”
For his part, Frahood Al Hajiri, FEC Director, said: “Qatar’s environment has a lot to offer and preserve, and the society needs to be aware of the importance of the country’s nature. From day one, we believed in Qatar e-Nature’s ability to promote this message and entrench environmental values. We are proud to be working with Sasol for the sixth year running, and we thank the Ministry of Education and Higher Education for its vital support for this contest.”
Qatar e-Nature, a leading Sasol social initiative, is the first smartphone application of its kind, highlighting Qatar’s rich environmental diversity and offering detailed information about the country’s flora, birds, insects, mammals, reptiles, marine life and nature reserves. Sasol cooperated with FEC to develop this application in Arabic and English with a view to promoting sustainable development by raising the community’s environmental awareness.
Jack Saba, General Manager of Public Affairs at Sasol Qatar commented: “The number of schools participating in the contest increases year after year. This is a testimony to the success of the initiative and its positive impact. We in Sasol believe in protecting the environment and promoting environmental awareness. We thank the Ministry of Education and the FEC for their continuous support, and we wish all schools participating in this year’s contest good luck.”
The Qatar e-Nature Schools Contest attracts more schools every year. 107 primary schools participated in the 2018 context compared to 84 in the year before.
The user-friendly Qatar e-Nature app is available for download free of charge from Apple Store, Google Play store, and the website www.enature.qa. Updates can also be followed on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
