DOHA-QATAR: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education, along with Sasol – the international integrated chemicals and energy company – and the Friends of the Environment Centre (FEC), announced the kick-off of the quarter-final and semi-final rounds of Qatar e-Nature schools contest in its sixth consecutive year.

The Qatar e-Nature Schools Contest is designed to encourage students to discover Qatar’s rich nature, learn more about Qatar’s environmental diversity, and highlight the importance of environmental awareness in a fun and interactive way. The participating teams will compete to answer questions live that test their knowledge of plants, mammals, insects, reptiles, birds, marine life and nature reserves in Qatar, and are based on information available on Qatar e-Nature smartphone application and website enature.qa.

Nearly 350 students from 113 private and governmental schools across Qatar are competing at the Qatar e-Nature contest quarter final rounds from Monday, March 11th 2019 to Monday, March 18th 2019, followed by the semi-final rounds on Tuesday, March 19th and Wednesday March 20th, taking place at Al Markhiya Primary School for Girls. In April, 4 finalist teams will compete in the final round of the contest.

Fatima Al Obaidli, Head of Programs and Activities at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, commented: “The Qatar e-Nature school contests is an engaging platform that enables young participants to showcase their abilities and take an active role in learning about Qatar’s environment. At the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, we consistently emphasize the effectiveness of technology in developing the skills of young students and enhancing their knowledge. We are pleased to continue our cooperation with Sasol and FEC to deliver the sixth edition of the Qatar e-Nature schools contest.”

FEC Director Frahood Al Hajiri, commented: “Over the years, the Qatar e-Nature application has demonstrated the positive influence of spreading environmental awareness and encouraging younger generations to learn more about the environment. We thank the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and Sasol, for their invaluable cooperation.”

Jack Saba, General Manager of Public Affairs at Sasol, commented: “We are proud to witness the success of our Qatar e-Nature initiative over the years, with more and more schools participating each year. Our objective is to both educate younger generations on the rich diversity of Qatar’s nature and emphasize the value of environmental awareness, and we thank the Ministry of Education and FEC for their continued support on this initiative. We wish our participating teams the best of luck!”

Each school is participating through a three-member team, with a member each from primary 4, primary 5, and primary 6. At the end of the quarter and semi-final rounds, four teams will qualify for the final round and will be honored in an award ceremony with special trophies and vouchers. Vouchers for the winning teams, of up to QR 9,000, can be won.

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.

 

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