Ooredoo STEM Fair 2023 Concludes Successfully

The two-day Ooredoo STEM Fair 2023 concluded on Saturday with great support and success from participating schools. The event took place at Izzudheen School Hall and provided a platform for young talents to exhibit their innovative STEM projects and compete for eye-catching cash prizes. Ooredoo Maldives will continue the fair in the coming years as well, inspiring the next generation of STEM professionals.

At the awards ceremony held to close the event, Ooredoo Maldives recognized the exceptional accomplishments of participants with individual ribbons presented to First, Second and Third prize winners in all three categories: Junior, Senior and Novice. Iskandhar School was named the overall best school and received cash money of MVR 50,000 while MVR 10,000 was awarded to each first-place winning project from every category. Moreover, all participants of the fair also received a certificate acknowledging their participation.

Hussain Niyaz, Chief Commercial Officer of Ooredoo Maldives, expressed, "Ooredoo Maldives is proud to have provided a platform for young innovators to showcase their talent and creativity. The STEM Fair has shown the immense potential of our future leaders, and we believe that their innovative projects will drive digital transformation in the Maldives.

Minister of Education, Dr. Aishath Ali expressed her appreciation for the innovative projects showcased at the Ooredoo STEM Fair and stated "The projects presented by these brilliant young minds demonstrate their potential to become future leaders in STEM fields. The Ministry of Education remains committed to fostering STEM education among our youth and providing them with opportunities to develop their skills and interests in these areas."

In the Novice Category (4^th-6^th Grade) Iskandhar School won first place with their Eco Farm project. Waste to Electricity project by Iskandhar School, Bicycle Operated Vending Machine project by Majeedhiya School, The Solar Dehydrate project by Ghiyasuddin School and Air Pollution Detector project by Iskandhar school took home second and third place respectively.

In the Junior Category (7^th-8^th Grade) Wave Barrier project by Ghiyasuddin School received first place while the Oi Vashi project by Iskandhar School landed second place. Two schools tied for third place with Modernised Zebra Crossing project by Kalaafaanu School and Wave energy Buoy project by Ghiyasuddin School.

In the Senior Category (9^th-10^th Grade) an Aquaponics project and MANFA project by Iskandhar School won first place and second place respectively whereas, second place was awarded to Electricity from Flywheel project by Kalaafaanu School. Majeedhiya School’s Coconut Science project bagged the third place in this category.

Ms. Mariyam Shimaanath, Vice President of Women in Tech, congratulated the participants and winners and said, "We believe that every student should have the chance to experience STEM activities, that shape our future. We are confident that Ooredoo STEM fair has played an important role for students to explore this field. We encourage collaboration among government, private sector, and community to create more opportunities for students to engage in STEM."