MUSCAT – The award is a recognition of their outstanding implementation of a project to monitor daily environmental data at football stadiums.
The competition winners are: Fakhriyah Saud Al Balushi from Sowdah Umm Al Mu’minin Basic Education School; Hidayah Sulaiman Al Farsi from Asma bint Umays Basic Education School in A’ Dhahirah Governorate; Yusra Humaid Al Dhawi from Sumayya Basic Education School; and Ali Rashid Al Jafili from Abdulrahman bin Abi Bakr Basic Education School in North A’Sharqiyah Governorate.
This achievement follows the outstanding performance of the Omani participants at the Near East and North Africa regional level, where they executed a project involving the daily monitoring of environmental data at local football stadiums. The project encompassed measurements of air temperature, land surface temperature, and land cover, with data consistently uploaded through the GLOBE Program’s global platform throughout the competition period.
This accomplishment represents a continuation of the successes achieved by the Ministry of Education in the field of environmental education, reflecting its commitment to fostering a culture of research and empowering educators and students to actively engage in international scientific programmes. Such initiatives contribute to nurturing a generation that is acutely aware of environmental issues and sustainable development priorities.
These results further underscore the effectiveness of the Ministry of Education’s efforts to integrate environmental scientific practices into the educational process, promote inquiry-based learning, and enable teachers to spearhead environmental initiatives within their schools and communities.
It is noteworthy that the GLOBE Program (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) is an international science and education initiative launched in 1995 with the support of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and several other international partners. The programme currently involves 127 participating countries worldwide and aims to enhance environmental awareness through hands-on field observations, engaging students and teachers in the collection of scientific data.
The Sultanate of Oman joined the programme in 2009, with the Ministry of Education overseeing its implementation. The programme is regarded as one of the foremost initiatives supporting inquiry-based education and research within Omani schools.