QNA
Doha
The Center for Empowerment and Care of the Elderly (Ehsan), an affiliate of the Ministry of Social Development and Family’s (MSDF) Qatar Social Work Foundation, has launched the eighth Scientific Research and Innovation Competition.
The competition is held in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE), Qatar Research, Development and Innovation (QRDI) Council and Afaaq Qatar.
Held under the theme of optimising the quality of life for elderly people, the event is broadly devoted to middle and high school students in both public and private schools.
Acting Director of the Planning and Development Office at Ehsan, Al Anoud Mohammed Al Marri, said the competition is a superb platform dedicated to raising the students’ awareness of the issues facing the elderly people, identifying their needs and honing the students’ skills vis-a-vis scientific research, as well as spurring creativity in exploring innovative solutions.
Ehsan is committed to annually holding this contest in recognition of the importance of scientific research in addressing some social manifestations related to elderly people, in addition to refining the students’ talents in scientific research and reviewing the suggestions laid out by students in their research, Al Marri highlighted.
Al Marri pointed out that the contest is governed by an array of standards foremost of which is that the participating research should essentially serve the elderly people and creatively explore innovative solutions for them.
She added that an Ehsan professional team was formed to oversee the participating research and provide students with guidance and information accordingly.
For her part, Haya Mohammed Al Kaabi, a scientific research consultant at the MoEHE, highlighted that the competition is part of collaboration between MoEHE, MSDF and Ehsan, adding that the Curriculum and Learning Resources Department has invited public and private middle and high schools to participate in this edition.
This competition primarily aims to encourage schools to engage in social issues associated with elderly people, with the participating research covering innovative solutions for them in finding effective tools that serve this kind of segment, Al Kaabi underlined.
The seventh edition witnessed record turnout with the participation of 138 students from 37 public schools, presenting 46 research papers vis-à-vis elderly people in a special exhibition at Lusail University.