Community

Dr Amitav Ghosh, one of India's most celebrated writers in the English language and a recipient of the Jnanpith Award, visited Podar Pearl School on January 19.The school president, Sam Mathew, along with the board members welcomed Dr Ghosh and said "pride and privilege to have an eminent personality who holds two Lifetime Achievement Awards and four Honorary Doctorates", a press statement noted.The students were excited to meet and greet the renowned author. He had an interactive session with Grade 10 and 11 students.While interacting with the student community, Dr Ghosh insisted on the relevance of being empathetic in the contemporary world. He said: “Peer group plays a vital role in shaping one’s perspective about the society as well as one’s personality.”He also shared his thoughts on sustainable development and spoke at length about the significance of being self-reliant to curb consumerism.

Rajagiri Public School (RPS) celebrated its 7th Annual Athletic Meet at Aspire Dome, Doha, recently. Hamad al-Shaiba, sports programming specialist - Qatar Foundation and FIFA programme manager was the chief guest. Principal Sanjeev Kumar welcomed the gathering. Speaking on the occasion, al-Shaiba emphasised the importance of sports in schools and also how it benefits in the overall development of the students. A march past by the four houses - Apollo, Atlas, Hercules and Pegasus - was followed by the flag-hoisting ceremony, lighting of the Olympic Torch by the senior athletes and an oath-taking led by the sports captain. The chief guest declared the meet open by releasing a bunch of colourful balloons. The opening ceremony also featured cultural programmes by the students of various grades around the theme, 'I Love Qatar.' The cultural programmes concluded with a pyramid formation by the senior students which was well appreciated by the spectators as they paid tribute to the legendary footballer Pele. As many as 830 students participated in the events. The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 volunteers from RPS were also honoured by the chief guest on the occasion. A large crowd of parents were present to witness the event.

With an objective to provide students an exposure to the novel scientific techniques and an experience as young innovators, Rajagiri Public School (RPS), Doha organised Rajagiri Expo-2022 recently.Anand Victor, principal of Scholars’ International School, Doha, who inaugurated the event, remarked that the expo will enable the students to discover their talents in new areas, help them to use the resources within them and be transformers rather than conformers.RPS academics director Dr Prasant Palakkappillil observed that such events will help to develop scientific temper and the spirit of enquiry in students. Around 250 exhibits were put up by students of Grade 5 to 11, in four categories - working model, still model, charts and presentations. The children explained about their models and innovations to the visitors. The Millet Stall reminded the visitors about celebrating 2023 as the Year of Millets. Harish Thalapil co-ordinated the expo with the support of all departments and parents.

Students from Texas A&M University’s flagship campus in College Station, Texas (US), learned about life in Qatar during various study abroad opportunities offered by Texas A&M at Qatar (Tamuq), a Qatar Foundation partner.The delegation met with Doha-based students and faculty, participated in cultural experiences and visited various industry sites throughout the country.It was in December that 14 students from the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences participated in a study abroad programme that brought them to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The Texas A&M group from the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences worked volunteer shifts at the FIFA Fan Festival, helping out in specific zones of the festival including the lost and found booth, accessibility towers, around the main stage and screens, and food and beverage outlets.Bradley Burroughs, programme co-ordinator in the First-Year Experience Office for Student Success at Texas A&M and a doctoral student, said: “Spending time in Qatar during the World Cup was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I was thoroughly surprised with how beautiful the area is and how intentional the people were to ensure we are making the most of our time here. It really has been an incredible opportunity to see this part of the world, and it has been an experience I will cherish forever.”Earlier this month, eight students from the Mays Business School at Texas A&M also visited Qatar as a part of a faculty-led Study Abroad programme. They visited several agricultural companies to gain a better understanding of the farming techniques and practices used in this part of the world.Dr Cesar Octavio Malave, dean of Tamuq, said that he aims to bring around 200 students from various disciplines at the College Station campus to Doha over the course of the academic year.“Student mobility and international exchanges are crucial for developing a broad worldview and international awareness,” Dr Malave said. “These trips allow our College Station students an opportunity to get a first-hand knowledge about life in Qatar. Through this experience, they are able to meet with the local community, and participate in cultural experiences, which allows them to get a better perspective and to discard misconceptions about the region.”Students studying at the Doha campus also participate in various study abroad, research and exchange opportunities throughout the academic year. Recently, undergraduate students from Tamuq travelled to College Station for a study abroad programme as part of their intercultural communications course, where they explored and analysed the different elements for communications at several of the group stage matches of the FIFA World Cup 2022.

The Hindi Department of DPS-Modern Indian School, Qatar celebrated 'World Hindi Day' recently. Students presented a colourful cultural extravaganza that included a Qawwali, song, group dance and a skit highlighting the importance of the day. Maairah Rimas Chadkhan (Grade VII) recited a poem composed by the Hindi Department head Suhaila Mohsin. Principal Asna Nafees pointed out the significance and the popularity of Hindi language all over the globe and inspired the students to carry forward its richness and essence. Vice principals Soma Bhattacharjee (Senior Secondary School), Mary Cruz (Senior School) and Shifa Shekh (Junior School), and other key functionaries were present. The event concluded with a commitment to preserve the values and ethos of Indian culture.

The Department of Public Health at the College of Health Sciences, Qatar University (QU), recently organised a thesis oral defence for a Master of Public Health candidate, which was attended by faculty examiners from the department, and an examination committee from QU’s College of Pharmacy and Hamad Bin Khalifa University.Lara Sranek delivered her thesis, 'Parental Perceptions of Early Intervention for Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder Attending Secondary Care Settings: A Mixed-methods Study', under the supervision of Dr Mujahed Shraim, Dr Ghadir al-Jayyousi and Dr Nazim Abdel Aati.The results of her study showed most parents perceived that the early intervention service for their children with autism spectrum disorder was associated with improvement in the children’s condition, and 55% of parents were satisfied with the early intervention service.The main challenges reported by parents were the long waiting time to receive the early intervention, short intervention duration, and lack of community-based education and social services to support children with autism spectrum disorder and their families.The study highlights the need for multi-stakeholder collaboration to meet the needs of individuals with autism and their families.

DPS -Modern Indian School hosted the eighth edition of TEDxYouth@DPSMIS recently on the theme 'Tangential Thoughts' - the seemingly meaningless thoughts that serve as the key to solving the world’s problems.The session featured a panel of five interdisciplinary speakers and was attended by over 80 participants from across Qatar.Dania Khaled, a communication consultant, presented her views on ‘Designing your Reality’, Reem Abouselo, a social media specialist, shared her ideas and experiences on ‘What’s after Graduation’, Ahmed al-Shahrani, a para-athlete, highlighted the importance of ‘The Words that Shape Us’, Louise Mabulo, an environmentalist, enthused the young minds through ‘Chocolate Revolution’ and Fatima al-Mahdi, manager of Student Enrichment through her talk ‘A Journey to Learning Passion’, emphasised on the value of purpose and passion to reap success. TEDxYouth@ DPSMIS is described as the longest running youth event in Qatar.

Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Higher Education, Government of India, has launched a fresh initiative in the important sphere of Swachhta (cleanliness) named 'Swachhta Hi Seva'.MES Indian School recently organised a programme over five days for spreading the message of cleanliness.The young leaders of the Campus Care Force and the Scouts team with Cubs and Bulbuls framed an activity calendar for the Cleanliness Drive and Beautification of the campus. A special assembly was inaugurated by co-curricular and cultural activities director M C Mohamed. Principal Dr Hameeda Kadar also spoke.The activities included beautification and maintenance of the garden, planting of saplings, essay writing on the topic, ‘Be clean, be healthy’ for Class 4,‘Cleanliness –the need for the hour’ for Class 9, an exhibition of the best out of waste materials by KG students, painting on the topic, ‘Say No to Plastic’ by Class 7, poem writing on ‘Cleanliness of Environment’ by Class 8 and Poster designing on ‘Say no to plastic’ for Classes 2 and 7. Students of Classes 3 and 5 were asked to make a paper bag.Class 8 students delivered a speech on the topic-‘Cleanliness’/ ‘Say No to plastic’, Class 1 students drew on the topic –‘Things Required for Personal Hygiene’ while Class 6 students drew on ‘Hygiene and Sanitation Practices’. Classes 1, 2 and 9 participated in the quiz on Cleanliness. Students of Classes 3 and 5 wrote a paragraph on the topic 'Importance of Cleanliness’.Slogan writing was given to Classes 4 and 6 on the topic ‘Cleanliness and Hygiene Practices’/‘Say No to Plastic’. A skit and dance on ‘Say No to Plastic’ was presented on the occasion. PPE kits, hand gloves, bio-degradable and non-degradable waste bins were distributed to the housekeepers.The programme ended with the Swachhta Sapath (pledge) and distribution of the cleanliness award to the students, teachers and staff. The teachers in charge were Jency George (overall in-charge, Campus Care Force), Sneha Ramachandran Pillai, Sibby Shaji John, Bitty Varghese, Neema Ummukulusu, Nisha George, Mubina Akram and Rajesh K S (overall in-charge, Scouts and Guides) and Fency Patrose (in-charge of Cubs & Bulbuls).

Two extraordinary students of Bangladesh MHM School & College have secured scholarships in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) Examination, 2022, the result of which was published on December 28. Imam al-Areen and Nusrat Jahan Naurin have bagged a scholarship each out of the four allotted for nine expatriate Bangladeshi schools. This year, students of Bangladesh MHM School & College have scored outstanding results in the SSC Examination securing 98% pass, with 25 students achieving GPA-5, the highest grade, among a total of 68 candidates. School director Lt. Cdr (Retd) Md Anwar Khurshid and principal Md Zulfiker Azad congratulated the scholarship winners and thanked parents and faculty members for their wholehearted efforts and co-operation. Bangladesh embassy charge d'affaires Dr Muhammad Mustafizur Rahman also congratulated the students and commended the hard work of the teachers and hoped that in future examinations too the students will emulate the success.

A total of 150 students, 20 staff (teaching and non-teaching) and parents of MES Indian School who served as volunteers at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 were honoured at a ceremony recently.The school's cultural/co-curricular activities director M C Mohamed, the chief guest, congratulated the volunteers.Student volunteers spoke about their unique experiences. Further, about 20 students, who participated in the five-day Generation Amazing Goal 22 programme to celebrate the World Cup, were also felicitated.MES was the only Asian expatriate school invited to the Generation Amazing Goal 22 event, conducted under the patronage of Unesco, and in partnership with FIFA Foundation, Qatar Foundation, Qatar's Ministry of Youth & Sports, Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and Qatar Football Association, a statement said.The ceremony began with a welcome dance. Catherine Roy welcomed the gathering. Students Nawfa Ismail (XI-J), Shaikha Musafir (XII-I), Steffi Mathews (X-S), Parvathy Sampath (XII-I), Aisha Mohamed Sathar (VIII-K), Haya Jahan (IX-P), Mohamed Naji (XII-B) and Roshan (XII-A) spoke about Generation Amazing Goal 2022.The tiny tots who were ball bearers, their parents and teachers spoke about their experiences during the World Cup. A group of boys showcased their football tricks and hacks. Rema Devi, from the Department of English, proposed a vote of thanks. The event was co-ordinated by the teachers of the Department of Physical Education.

MES Indian School, Abu Hamour branch (MESIS) organised a food festival as a part of its Qatar National Day (QND) 2022 celebrations. The slogan of the event was “Our unity is our source of strength” spreading the message of unity, triumph and charity. Year of millets was also celebrated in collaboration with QND celebrations.The programme showcased Qatari culture with Arabic speech, dance and song performances. The food festival, organised by the Qatar History Department was inaugurated by the school's cultural director M C Mohamed, accompanied by principal Pramila Kannan. To infuse the spirit of charity and benevolence, students and their parents were motivated to participate in the food festival and donate. Parents and students participated by bringing foods of Qatari cuisine and food made of millets to celebrate the Year of Millets 2023 as well.The entire amount collected from the food festival will be donated to Qatar Charity, the school said. The contribution and efforts of parents and students was appreciated by all.

International School of London, Qatar (ISL Qatar) is hosting a Primary Open Morning on January 18 from 8-10am.Families with children in age-group of 3-10 years are invited to attend.On this occasion, ISL Qatar experts will present their learning approach and what makes the school unique. To attend the event, families will need to register at: https://islqatar.openapply.com/tours/new, a statement said.Primary Years Programme - Early Years: Each child is viewed as an individual. Learning is play-based. Play is the way children naturally learn about themselves and the world they live in. As children are provided with opportunities to play, they are: trying new ideas; finding out about things; reinforcing knowledge and skills; thinking imaginatively; exploring their feelings; and learning to control their emotions and to take risks.A strong relationship between the child and the school begins with the first interactions. The family is an essential partner in the child’s journey at ISL Qatar. A network of communication exists between the children, parents and teachers. They work together, interacting toward a common purpose: the building of a culture that respects childhood as a time to explore, create, and be joyful.Primary Years Programme - Gr 1-5: Organised around five essential elements—knowledge, concepts, skills, attitudes, and action— the PYP gives students the opportunity to explore big ideas in the world around them, and make a difference in their community and beyond. Students at ISL Qatar learn in more than one language and develop knowledge and understanding of international perspectives. Connections between students’ own culture and the cultures of others are an essential feature of the PYP. Global awareness and the passion to make a difference in the world around them are fundamental elements of the programme, the statement added.

Mikhail Vincent Paul, a student of Grade II at Birla Public School has entered in 'Asia Book of Records' and 'India Book of Records' for identifying the Maximum Number of Vehicle Brand Logos. He identified 411 vehicle brand logos in eight minutes and 42 seconds at the age of six years, seven months and 14 days as confirmed on October 19, 2022. He had also identified 195 countries' flags in four minutes at a special assembly conducted at the school on June 28, 2022. Mikhail is the son of Dr Paul K Vincent, gastroenterology physician, Hamad Medical Corporation and Dr Shiga Rappai Chirayath, endocrinology physician, Sidra Medicine and the grandson of Vincent Kuriakose and Nimmy Vincent and C V Rappai and Shirly Rappai.

Qatar University’s (QU) Young Scientists Centre (YSC) recently held the closing ceremony for its third session of the ‘Design Thinking and Innovation Programme’, in the presence of participating students, parents and researchers.A total of 159 students participated in the programme from the primary and preparatory stages from six schools, namely Qatar Primary School for Boys, Saad bin Moaz Primary School for Boys, Al-Manar International School, Saeed Bin Zaid Preparatory School for Boys, Ali Bin Abi Talib Preparatory School for Boys, and Salah School Al-Din Al-Ayyubi Preparatory School for Boys.During the final ceremony, the qualified groups designed innovative prototypes, following the steps of design thinking: Empathise, define, ideate, prototype, and test. Students performed excellently in applying the design thinking principles to build their prototype. Additionally, students from the preparatory schools designed a prototype to reduce heat loss according to the competition criteria.Primary school students applied all stages of design thinking to build a safe and environmentally friendly model for protecting and packaging a food product, considering cost, quality, innovation, and durability criteria.A panel of judges evaluated participants' performance and their final prototypes to choose the winner in each stage. The winners were ‘Edison Group’ from Saeed Bin Zaid Preparatory School for Boys and ‘Shabab Al-Ilm’ Group from Qatar Primary School.The QU-YSC director Prof Noora al-Thani, praised the students and their innovations. "The students reaching this stage of cognitive awareness is an essential step in preparing them to face various challenges which would contribute to enrich human resources and build the research and scientific capabilities of the emerging generation," she stated.

MES Indian School conducted a two-day orientation programme for teachers.The session began with a counselling class on ‘An Outlook on Inclusive Education’ by principal Hameeda Kadar. She elaborated on the purpose of inclusion - to include every child in the mainstream of school's activities despite differences - to ensure all learners feel welcomed and valued besides supporting them to develop their talents and achieve their goals.The other training topics covered were ‘Teaching English Language Skills through Games’ by Baby Shana, head of Academic Inspection & Quality Management, ‘An Introduction to School Health Emergency’ by the educators of United Nurses of India-Qatar (Uniq), ‘Learning Disabilities and Slow Learners’ by Saleema M M (KG teacher),‘Differentiation for Catch-Up’ by Rameesh Fathima, co-ordinator, Department of English, Girls’ Section and ‘A Well-Managed Classroom- Educators Effectiveness’ by Sibi Daniel - Department Of Chemistry, Boys’ Section.Sudeesh (Department of Physics) along with a team of teachers comprising Shahana Begum V (Boys’ Section), Mary Cynthia (Girls’ Section), Resmi Ajith Kumar, Shemeera Shameer (Junior Section), Jesna Siju and Suja Mathew (Kindergarten) co-ordinated the event.During the Uniq session, president Mini Sibi gave the welcome address. Education wing advisory member and Hamad Medical Corporation's (HMC) senior nurse educator Kumari Thankam elaborated on the objectives, and various modules as well as the importance of the School Health Education Programme, a collaborated programme influenced by the Qatar National Health Strategy to reach out to students through seminars, workshops, classroom discussions and other activities.Uniq education wing members and HMC emergency expert Suliman and HMC educator Jiss Thomas spoke on topics concerning first aid and the appropriate method of handling accident victims. The school management and principal thanked the team members.

The QU Health Interprofessional Education Committee (IPEC) at Qatar University (QU) organised recently its third IPE activity, entitled Interprofessional Education Activity on Smoking Cessation. A total of 150 students and 30 facilitators from different healthcare programmes in QU and University of Calgary-Qatar (UCQ) participated in the annual activity which aimed to help students learn and respect the role and responsibility of each profession.An important factor was for students to comprehend different healthcare scopes and functions. Students also communicated in a collaborative and responsible manner and included all stakeholders in the decision-making process regarding smoking cessation, an essential topic for Qatar's healthcare system. The IPE event provided the opportunity for students from public health, biomedical science, medicine, and pharmacy to develop skills in working collaboratively. Students shared their knowledge about the prevalence of smoking worldwide, trends in smoking over time, its impact on health and well-being, and strategies to assist people to quit smoking.Students had the opportunity to work interprofessionally to understand the smoking cessation process while reflecting the role of their professions. They implemented the 5A Model for Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence, an evidenced-based smoking cessation practice that can be used by any health professional and implemented as part of a routine visit; to help in smoking withdrawal through a role-play with the facilitators. The 5A model consists of: Asking about tobacco use; advise to quit; assess willingness to make a quit attempt; assist in quit attempt and arrange.Dr Lily O’Hara, the lead facilitator for the event and associate professor of Public Health at College of Health Sciences said: “The IPE event was highly successful in achieving the learning outcomes of students learning with, from, and about each other's roles in reducing the harm from tobacco use. Students shared knowledge about the extent of tobacco use and tobacco-related deaths around the world, trends in use in different regions, and global and national strategies to reduce tobacco-related disease and death.”Dr Sharah Haque, assistant professor UC-Q noted: “The IPE event was an optimal opportunity for students from various disciplines to come together to collaborate and learn. In our group, dental health, public health, pharmacy and nursing were represented. Students contributed to the role-play scenario in a manner that was only possible from the uniqueness of their specialty. The group also bonded during our introduction activity as we explored common ground on our similarities and embraced our differences.”“IPE gave us an idea about what I’m going to deal with in my future career, helped me in discussing with others and share ideas and enhance my critical thinking and creativity. I’m grateful for having this experience, and won’t miss any chance to participate again and enrich my abilities and skills even more,” added Mariam Qaddoumi, second year biomedical student, College of Health Sciences.

Qatar’s hospitality was on full display at the Qatar National Day (QND) event hosted by students at QF partner Georgetown University in Qatar's (GU-Q) Al Liwan Qatari Student Association. Held at the GU-Q building and spilling out into Education City’s Oxygen Park, the celebrations included an exciting schedule of activities, performances, and cultural experiences. Al Liwan club president, Asma al-Kuwari, who is pursuing a major in International Economics and minor in Government at GU-Q, said the event was as much a celebration of heritage as it was a recognition of the university’s rich multicultural diversity. Al-Kuwari said: “We wanted to showcase the very best of our people and culture because these connections build bridges between people and communities. They also contribute to a beautiful exchange of cultures, bringing our diverse multinational school community even closer together.” Students, faculty, and staff came together to delight in “shopping” at a traditional “dukan” or vintage candy store, receive a henna design, and challenge their working knowledge of Qatar history and culture with a competitive trivia game. Visitors were also treated to delicious foods from established food venues as well as local Qatari kitchens. “Our club members worked so hard and contributed in so many ways to make the event successful. They also brought traditional food from their houses to provide students with a taste of authentic Qatari cuisine,” noted al-Kuwari. A merchant from Souq Waqif demonstrated the making of cultural handicrafts that have been passed down from generation to generation, and an art gallery featured the work of GU-Q graduate Saoud al-Ahmed, whose mixed media pieces reflect themes of culture and change. And no QND would be complete without a riveting sword dance, as well as a oud performance, offered this year by musician Mejdoub Zakaryae.

The Birla Public School and CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education, India) Gulf Sahodaya- Qatar Chapter organised a principal’s and senior leadership members training programme, virtually recently on the topic ‘Promotion of Skills with Design Thinking and Innovation.’The training comprised of 80 senior leadership team members of CBSE-affiliated schools in Qatar as participants. Eminent speakers including officials from CBSE and team members of the Design Thinking Project of CBSE led the training.The session commenced with the keynote address by Dr Biswajit Saha, director skills education, CBSE, who spoke about the importance of skill education and its prominence in NEP. He encouraged schools to initiate compulsory skill module from grade VI onwards.He suggested that the teaching can be hybrid by roping in additional after school- working hours under the skill hub initiative.Prof Ravi Poovaiah, professor at IIT, Mumbai, who has been the chairperson of Design Thinking curriculum and education in CBSE schools, gave an overview about the Design Thinking programme and how it came into being with intensive research. He shared a content/task, with examples and how we could deliver the concept effectively.Harish Sanduja, academic director-principal, Birla Public School, Qatar, took the participants through the assessment criteria and rubrics to be implemented to check the development of the student in Design Thinking. He suggested that the achievement levels and feedback can be incorporated into the report cards to give a holistic learning view to the parent by incorporating the 21st century learning skills like- creativity, problem solving, collaboration and communication.Dr Elangovan Kariappan, director, Innovation Cell and All India Council for Technical Education, threw light on the statistics and implementation of the programme, both in India in 342 schools and 45 schools abroad. He encouraged principals to organise hackathons, upload tasks done by students to create a learning repository and award innovative projects/ideas from students and staff. The principals were informed to have a School Education Council set up and follow a 360 degree approach by running support groups, boot camps, exhibitions, field visits etc.Dr Rupa Chakravarty, director, Suncity World School, Gurgaon took the training forward by briefly touching on the pedagogy and revisiting the terms of design, innovation and creativity. She discussed that the process of design thinking, which involved the child to observe- understand- ideate- build- and reflect with examples from her school.Prajakta Kulkarni shared of how the teachers are being equipped for the Design Thinking programme through apt trainings. She said that teachers should be learners, innovators, and thinkers in order to cultivate the zeal in the students.Dr R P Singh, joint secretary, CBSE, India knitted the whole training at the end by directing the principals towards the roadmap planned ahead for the successful implementation of the programme. He motivated schools to be Skill Hubs and collaborate with other CBSE schools.The CBSE plans on further training the teachers in Qatar in two phases (both online and offline). He also attended to queries in the Q&A round, which gave further clarity to the participants.The principals of the Qatar Chapter are going to come together to collaborate, mindfully plan and initiate this venture of Design Thinking, Innovation and skill subjects across CBSE schools in Qatar; thus, bringing about a revolutionary change of creating more innovators and critical thinkers.The vote of thanks was given by Anand Victor, convenor of Qatar Chapter and also principal of Scholars’ International School. Asna Nafees, principal of DPS – Modern Indian School, Qatar and Hameeda Kadar, principal of MES Indian School, were also present along with the other principals’ and gave a good feedback about the programme.

A total of 128 students and 19 staff from MES Indian School had the honour of supporting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 by way of volunteering in various areas.Amaana Sajid (grade IV-B), Muhammed Ismayil (III-C), Fathima Zafarnishan (III-G), Afafh Nasif (II-A), Aysha Zaharin (I-H) and Abdel Ahed (VI-A) escorted the players of various team on to the pitch.Fathima Zafarnishan and Aysha Zaharin escorted players of Croatia for their match with France. Afafh Nasif escorted a player of Morocco for the match against Croatia in the decider for the 3rd place. Amaana Sajid escorted a player of Argentina and Muhammed Ismayil escorted a player of Croatia for the semi -final match between Argentina and Croatia.Rayya Khadeeja (VIII-S), Aysha Nourin (X-S), Naswa Asif (XII-M), Haya Jahan (IX-P), Farhan Khan (IX-F), Mohammed Ayaz (XI-C), Hadi Muhammed, Tarun Sajkumar (X-G), Abdullah Purathayil (IX-E), Ehsan Harispalakkal (V-I) and Mohammed Ayaan Sajid (VIII-C) were the flag bearers for some of the crucial matches.It was really a memorable experience for these young sporting talents of the school. They were congratulated by principal Dr Hameeda Kadar.

Pakistan Arts Society - Qatar (PAS-Q) and Pak Shama School (PSS) recently collaborated to host an educational lecture titled 'Developing creative and critical thinking in students' for the teachers of the school and a general audience at the institution’s main campus in Mesaimeer. Senior PSS faculty members, and a number of guests from academia and different walks of life attended.The lecture was delivered by Dr Faisal Hanif, an economist, researcher, finance expert, and litterateur. He has more than two decades of experience in senior finance leadership roles in the energy and financial sectors complemented by professional qualifications in software engineering and academic studies in finance and management.Dr Hanif earned his PhD in Banking and Economics from the UK. He also holds an MBA from Germany. He is currently the Head of Treasury at a group of companies in energy sector in Qatar.Dr Hanif is a published author and literary critic in both Urdu and English languages. He is the interpreter and commentator of nineteenth-century Persian and Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib’s poetic and philosophical work. He is the chairman of Bazm-e-Urdu Qatar (est. 1959) the oldest literary organisation in Qatar, the founder of Iqbal Academy Middle East in affiliation with Iqbal Academy Scandinavia, Denmark, founder of Guzergah-e-Khayal Forum to promote classical literature, and founding president of first Urdu Toastmasters Club GK Toastmasters, in Qatar.The guest speaker was welcomed by PSS president M A Shahid, principal Nabila Kaukab, PAS-Q president Abrar Hussain, vice president Tahir Dilawar Hussain and general secretary Adeel Akbar along with school academics and PAS-Q members.Akbar commenced the programme by inviting the guest speaker onto the stage. Hussain, in his welcome address, emphasised the significance of the lecture’s theme and its importance for teachers and students in addition to the application of critical thinking in real-life situations and the decision-making process.The first segment was conducted by PSS English teacher Aiman Zeb by introducing and briefly interviewing the guest speaker. Dr Hanif provided his expert views on the process of developing creativity and critical thinking for individuals and particularly for school students. He equated critical thinking to thinking with clarity in the context of understanding complex economic, social, and ethical issues.He emphasised the necessity of implementing classroom strategies to encourage students to apply reason and logic in their day to day activities and focus on alternative arguments when evaluating a claim.Dr Hanif spoke on the challenges with the process of developing critical thinking. Whilst highlighting the importance of sensibilities based on emotion, intuition, and common sense, he suggested not to throw away said sensibilities rather put them under the microscope of reason to remove subjectivity.He also discussed the barriers to critical thinking such as bias, egocentrism, provincialism, relativistic thinking, stereotyping, unwarranted assumptions, selective perception, overpowering emotions, and distrust in reason. He provided real-world examples and the techniques of elimination of the barriers to critical thinking and from his personal experiences and observations.The guest speaker further recommended every student to take some basic philosophy courses as this will enable them to strengthen their ability to learn and evaluate problems using detailed assessment and formulate a fine judgement. The lecture was followed by a question-and-answer session.Dr Hanif added that teachers should equip students at an early age with the tools for critical thinking including skepticism and objectivity. Children must be taught that learning is not gathering information rather it is eliminating assumptions.In response to a question on the role of parents, he said that parents are the child’s teacher at home and therefore they assume greater responsibility to ensure that they educate children on how critical thinking skills can help them succeed in studies, career, and life by making right decisions and informed choices.Dr Hanif concluded the lecture by pointing out the significance of the use of technology in the classroom and at home to accelerate academic progress and make learning more interesting. Kaukab thanked Dr Hanif for the distinguished lecture, and PAS-Q for organising the knowledge-sharing talk for the teachers of the institution.Anwar Ali Rana, a community member, proposed a vote of thanks.