KARACHI: Two teams comprising seven Pakistani students have taken top honors among more than 33,000 participants from 52 countries in the largest ThinkQuest International Competition to date, sponsored by the Oracle Education Foundation (OEF). ThinkQuest International Competition challenges students to solve a real-world problem using their critical thinking, communication and technology skills and the students presented solutions using a variety of technologies, including online applications and games, websites, photo essays, online blogs/journals, animations, and videos.
Pakistani students were part of two award-winning teams; six local students Sania, Sadia, Narmeen, Iflah, Rohan, and Ahmed of Generations School created an entry called “Mini Mentors” in coaching of Aniqa Masroor. While another local student, Taleaa of Generations School, teamed up with students from Singapore to help create an entry called “Obesity.” “Mini Mentors” was awarded 3rd place in the ThinkQuest Projects event, 12 & under age division. The entry focused on how ants can teach us to deal with problems as a community, through dedicated teamwork, organisation and perseverance.
“Obesity” was awarded 2nd place in the Application Development event, 19 & under age division. The entry focused on raising awareness around weight issues and providing online tools to help people manage diet and general health. “I would like to congratulate the winners of the ThinkQuest International Competition from Pakistan. It’s a pleasure to see these students being recognised for their hard work in creating projects that address key social issues,” said Ahsen Javed, Managing Director, Oracle South Asia Growth Economies – West.
“It’s been a splendid experience working on this project with the students. They were particularly excited about exploring the wondrous world of ants, and thoroughly enjoyed themselves in the process.” said Aniqa Masroor, Generations School “ThinkQuest has truly managed to engage children in positive learning activities by stimulating their creativity and critical thinking skills.” “The Oracle Education Foundation is please to recognise all ThinkQuest International Competition participants for their outstanding achievements,” said Brad Saffer, Vice President, Oracle Corporate Citizenship. “These students identified real-world problems and accepted the challenge to solve them through innovative, thought provoking solutions. Throughout the process, these students developed skills that will position them for success in the classroom and workplace.”
The winners were selected from among 7,603 teams and represented China, Great Britain, Greece, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Moldova, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and the United States. Prizes for the winners include laptop computers, school grants, and a trip to ThinkQuest Live, the inspirational awards event in the San Francisco Bay Area. – Dailytimes
