DOHA: Qatar Foundation's (QF's) commitment to promoting STEM education was recently showcased through its hosting of the World Mathematics Team Championships that took place from November 28 to December 1 making Qatar the first country in the Middle East and Arab region to host such a competition.
The international event provided an opportunity to highlight QF's efforts in advancing the study of mathematics and strengthening global scientific cooperation and coordination.
Haia Al Naimi, Manager of the Talent and Creativity Program at Qatar Foundation's Pre-University Education (PUE), pointed out that this year's edition of the World Mathematics Team Championships (WMTC) was a platform to illustrate the scientific abilities of students at QF schools.
"They are talented; they are future leaders, and they are eager to show they can excel in a global competition such as this," Al Naimi said.
"The WMTC was an opportunity to enhance the capacity of students to solve mathematical problems through innovative methods, while also illustrating the contribution that Arab scholars have made to mathematics." Al Naimi added that the Qatar edition of the competition was also to celebrate the legacy of Al Khawarizmi, highlight the significant contributions and rich legacy of Muslim scholars in the field of mathematics, while also showcasing the heritage of Qatar.
Sara Al Hajri, Director of Student Affairs and Community Partnership at QF's PUE, said that the 15th edition of the event, which saw the participation of around 800 students including 443 students from outside Qatar, focused on the historical origins of mathematics and algorithms within Islam, and highlighted the contributions of Muslim scholars in this field such as Al-Khawarizmi and Ibn Sina.
"This competition was an opportunity for young Arab children to learn about how mathematics is part of their identity," Al Hajri said. "One of the goals of this competition was to inform young people that mathematics is an authentic science developed by prominent Muslim scholars; that it remains one of the most important foundations for the sciences, and that anyone can understand the language of mathematics, regardless of their nationality or the language they speak."
Al Hajri explained that within QF schools, students are continuing to improve their performance in mathematics. "We hope that by hosting this competition and seeing our students participate in it, it will contribute to increasing the number of our students who excel in this area." Each year, the World Mathematics Team Championships is held in a different country with an ever-present aim of encouraging students from around the world to think about mathematics in different and unique ways. Each edition of the competition ends with awards for individuals and teams who achieve the highest scores.
