Hamdan Al-Mohammad

As many as 100,000 Saudi students across the country have registered for the National Olympiad Science Innovation (NOSI) program for the year 2015 under King Abdul Aziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity “Mawhiba.”

The program, being organized by Mawhiba in partnership with the Ministry of Education, is part of government efforts to provide Saudi students with a competitive environment for developing their creative skills in science innovation. They will be offered world-class training prior to their participation in international events.

There have been a record-breaking number of registered participants this year, suggesting the growing community awareness of the importance of the program for student development, said Hamdan Al-Mohammad, NOSI director. The registration period ended Saturday.

The official said the total number of registered persons has reached 116,277, of whom 64,860 were boys with 34,641 of these registering for scientific research and 30,219 for innovation. As for women, the number registered is 51,417 (24,980 in scientific research and 26,437 in innovation), an increase of over 34 percent compared to the last year’s Olympiad.

Overall, the total number of students will represent 7,581 schools or educational institutions throughout the Kingdom, with an increase of over 14 percent over last year’s representation.

According to Al-Mohammad, the intention of the NOSI is to create an innovative spirit among

the youth by encouraging them to participate in projects requiring scientific research and innovation. Upon completion of the project, they will be judged by academic experts to determine the best competition entries in accordance with specific criteria that would enable them to qualify for the advanced stage.

He said that the objectives of the program include re-drafting the concerns of students to the fields of learning and knowledge, and providing a competitive environment that would satisfy their learning appetites.

The NOSI also works to develop a spirit of creativity among students in scientific and technical fields, and to identify talents that could be nurtured for future competitions. The finalists will represent the Kingdom in international forums abroad.

 
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