Indian School Salalah organized Science, Technology, And Innovation (STAI 2021) under the aegis of the Board of Directors, Indian Schools in Oman on 25th and 26th of September 2021. The event was aimed at showcasing the talents of young minds in the areas of Science, Technology and Innovation.

The virtual inaugural function was graced by the Ambassador of India to the Sultanate of Oman H.E. Shri Munu Mahawar. The function was presided over by Dr. Sivakumar Manickam, Chairman, Board of Directors, Indian Schools in Oman. Dr. Zahran Al Sati, Dean, CBFS Muscat was the Guest of Honour.

Dr. Syed Ahsan Jamil, President of the School Management Committee extended a formal welcome to the Chief Guest and other dignitaries. Speaking on the vital role Science and Technology has played in the context of the current pandemic, Dr. Jamil reiterated that Science, Technology and Innovation comes to rescue human beings when their very existence is challenged and threatened.

Speaking on the occasion of future technological innovations and possibilities, Dr. Sivakumar Manickam, Indian School Board Chairman, recalled that innovation is nothing but seeing what everybody is seeing but thinking nobody has thought. He further added that, “What is happening now was magical to our ancestors and what is going to happen tomorrow will be magical to us as well and programmes like STAI instill a scientific temperament in students which is a must for innovation.”

H.E. Shri MunuMahawar, Ambassador of India to the Sultanate of Oman, said that science and technology have played a central role in resolving our global challenges. He appreciated the administration and management of Indian School Salalah for the successful completion of 40 years and extended his best wishes to all the participants of the mega event.

The Guest of Honour Dr. Zahran Al Salti, Dean, CBFS appreciated the initiatives of BoD in organizing STAI for its schools across Oman and said that such events are great platforms for students to compete with and help schools to identify talents.

Recognizing the objectives and achievements of the event, CA Ashwini Sawrikar, Finance Director of the Board, during her felicitation address, said that science and technology of today is going to shape up our tomorrow.

The keynote speaker Mr. Rajesh Rana, CEO & Director, Stellar Cyber Analytics created awareness about the consequences and losses due to data theft and pilferage while sharing his views on cyber security, its career values and the skills required to succeed in it. The well-attended inaugural session concluded with vote of thanks proposed by Mr. Yasser Mohammed, Co-convener, School Management Committee.

The inter-school debate that was organized gave students a creative room for verbal battle and expression where students poured out their ideas on the topic ‘Artificial Intelligence will replace humans in the job market in future.’ It was followed by a real-time online fun-filled science spell bee competition for students of middle school. The other events were indeed an opening for students to bring out their ideas with scientific approach and solutions in the form of 3D model design, Mobile App and Computer game development that took place on the inaugural day of STAI 2021.

The second day of STAI was noted for the Puppet Show, followed by the much-awaited Science and Math Quiz, hosted by quizmaster Mr. Latheesh whose enrapturing style added to the thrill of quizzing, where the top teams from various schools fought it out for the trophy. Indian School Salalah stood victorious in the battle of brains.

The afternoon session began with the Comic Strip event, where recorded events were broadcast live. Students were expected to display their creativity in the form of comic strips, with a storyline expected to follow the theme. This was followed by the Artificial Intelligence event, one of the most innovative competitions at the school level; where students were tasked with building an Artificial Intelligence powered chatbot based on open-source chatbot designs.

The valedictory function was presided over by Mr. Syed Salman, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, Indian Schools in Oman. “Success is not an accident, but an outcome of perseverance, hard work, and learning,” he said. He was pleased to see the excitement for the event among students, and appreciated the exposure GenX had received through STAI 2021.

Eng. Ali Salim Omar Fadhil, Vice President of Dhofar Municipality, was the Chief Guest at the valedictory function. He congratulated the students for participating actively in STAI events. Mr. Sanjeev Singh, the Vice President of the School Management Committee, Indian School Salalah extended a warm welcome to the virtual gathering. He emphasized the need for a more sustainable attitude towards earth’s resources.

The keynote speaker Mr. Ravi Shankar from the Department of Atomic Energy, India congratulated the school on forty years of excellence and spoke about experimentation and curiosity.

Mr. Deepak Patankar, Principal, Indian School Salalah proposed the vote of thanks. The STAI 2021 Coordinator Mr. Unnikrishnan, HoD, Social Science expressed his gratitude to all the members of the STAI team and the coordinators of different Indian Schools for the successful completion of the mega event.

In a pursuit to inculcate scientific temperament and innovative spirit amongst students,Indian School Salalah under the aegis of Board of Directors,Indian Schools in Oman launched ‘STAI 2021- Science Technology and Innovation’ on 18th September, 2021.

The launch ceremony was graced by the chief guest Dr.Amer Al Rawas, Chairman, Themar Group. Other dignitaries were Dr. Sivakumar Manickam, Chairman, Board of Directors, Indian Schools in Oman, Mr. Sirajudeen Nhelat, DIC Indian School Salalah, Keynote speaker Dr. Varsha Kelkar, Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry, HoD Dept. of Bio Technology , University of Mumbai, Dr. Syed AhsanJamil, President, School Management Committee, Indian School Salalah and Principal of the host school Mr.Deepak Patankar. The event was attended by the members of the Board, School Management Committees, Principals of various Indian Schools in Oman, Teachers and Participating students.

In his presidential address,Dr. Syed Ahsan Jamil, President of School Management Committee focused on the need to inculcate scientific attitude in today’s generation and develop a sense of curiosity and creativity which will help humanity and make the world a better place to live in these challenging times.

The introductory message by Dr. Sivakumar Manickam, Chairman Board of Directors, Indian Schools in Oman highlighted the technology integration in various walks of human life today. Events like STAI are organized with an objective of providing a stage to young talents to showcase their talents in the field of Science, Technology and Innovation. “STAI 2021 recognizes the inquisitive minds of children and fosters their individual growth through research and exploration,” he said.

This mega event on Science, Technology and Innovation 2021, featuring the tagline “Curious by Heart, Creative by Minds”was launched virtually by chief guest Dr. Amer Al Rawas, Chairman of Themar Group. In his inaugural address, he appreciated the initiative taken by Indian schools to organize Tech events. Science and technology go hand in hand and it isthe effective implementation of theoretical knowledge which makes technology as a way of life, he added.

Indian school Salalah has marched majestically to accomplish 40 years of academic excellence since its inception in 1981 and in the gracious presence of the Indian School Board Chairman and other dignitariesISS@40 logo was unveiled in a video presentation.

Mr. Sirajudeen Nhelat, DIC, Indian School Salalah, in his felicitation highlighted the three fold aim of STAI. It helps students to develop the curiosity in various areas of science and technology and to provide an arena for practical implementation of acquired knowledge.

Keynote speaker for the launch ceremony, Dr. Varsha Khelkar, Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry, HoD Department Bio-Technology, and University of Mumbai, an expert in the field of science and technology shared her views on Environment and Biotechnology, with emphasis on diagnostics and therapeutics, paleontology & archival preservation, bio prospecting and bio-valorization. She urged students to take up research as a career as it is extremely rewarding. She also stressed that creativity and collaboration must become valued education giving the example of covid vaccine which proved to be a boon in the current pandemic. ‘Research is like winning an event, creating a piece of art and making a new dish’she added.

A video presentation highlighting the journey of STAI 2021 gave a glimpse on how Indian School Salalah has functioned to make this dream come true.Thematic dance ‘Save-the Planet Earth’ by vivacious dancers effectively complimented the theme-to protect the mother earth. The young dynamic dancers delivered an outstanding performance. Mr. Deepak Patankar, Principal Indian School Salalah concluded the launch ceremony with the vote of thanks.

The two days mega inter school event STAI 2021 commences on Saturday, 25th September with an inaugural ceremony followed by a series of events for two days culminating with a valedictory ceremony on Sunday, 26th September. Diverse programs, activities and contests will be held under different categories of age groups. The innovative programmes include Mobile app development, Computer games development, Design 3D model/ sketch, Design AI project, Science spell bee, Science comic strip, animated stick puppet show, Science based debate, Science & Maths quiz and Science photography. Participation of 18 Indian schools speaks volumes about the immense popularity of this event.

The fraternity of Indian Schools in Oman was enthralled to witness the virtual Grand Finale of the third edition of the Indian School Quiz (ISQUIZ) Competition hosted by Indian School Muscat under the aegis of the Board of Directors, Indian Schools in Oman, on Saturday, 4th September 2021.

The Grand Finale commenced with a video presentation displaying the glimpses of the journey of ISQUIZ 2021. It was followed by the welcome address by Mr. Sachin Toprani, President of the School Management Committee, Indian School Muscat. He lauded the efforts of the Board in providing holistic education to students in different styles and modes of learning.

In the introductory message by Dr. Sivakumar Manickam, Chairman, Board of Directors, Indian Schools in Oman accentuated on the transformation of knowledge over time. “Besides the obvious academic benefits of expanding a student’s knowledge and exploring new skills at an early age, quizzes redefine the education system in significant ways. Today, quizzes are interactive platforms where students are not participating to take home a prize or get famous overnight, but to gain knowledge, seek opportunities to excel beyond academics and secure their future,” Dr. Manickam said.

The Chief Guest His Excellency Shri Munu Mahawar, Ambassador of India to the Sultanate of Oman inaugurated the Grand Finale of ISQUIZ 2021. His Excellency thanked the Board for organizing events to mark AzadiKaAmritMahotsav, the 75th Anniversary of India’s Independence. His Excellency has appreciated the efforts of the Schools in keeping the students effectively engaged during the pandemic and ensuring continuity of education against all odds.

Dr. Ali Al Shukaili, Director General of Private Schools, Ministry of Education expressed his happiness for being part of the event and appreciated Indian Schools for their exemplary educational service catering to the all-round development of students.

The title sponsor of the event, Mr. P.B. Saleem, Managing Director, Noor Gazal Foods and Spices congratulated the organizing team of ISQUIZ and said the he was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of students in participating in the event and wished all of them success.

ISQUIZ 2021 had competitions organized in sub-junior, junior and senior categories. Nearly ten thousand students from the 21 Indian Schools had vied for the top honours and went through two qualifying rounds, followed by the Mega Prelims and the Grand Finale. Sixteen finalists from both junior and senior categories successfully accomplished the specified benchmark and reached the pinnace of the prestigious Grand Finale of the event.

The finalists in the Junior Category were: Asmi Raniga and Pranav Pramod (Indian School Al Ghubra), AaryanKishorBadgujar and Andrew Jordan (Indian School Muscat), Aditya Verma and ZainaFathima (Indian School Salalah), Aarush Ajith (Indian School Bousher) and Hifza Aziz Ul Hasan (Indian School Sur).

The finalists in the Senior Category were: Pavithra Nair (Indian School Al Ghubra), Tanmay Shukla (Indian School Al Wadi Al Kabir), Aysha Davood (Indian School Darsait), Joshua Shalom Armstrong and Faizan Najeeb (Indian School Muscat), Tajaswini Jayakaran (Indian School Salalah), R. Nitinkisor (Indian School Sohar) and Srihari Pradeep (Indian School Sur).

The celebrity Quizmaster Mr. Vinay Mudaliar of Mindcogs ruled the stage with his innovative digital rounds and thought provoking questions. He captivated the audience and left them spell bound with his high energy, quality content and his connect with the competitors.

Assistant Head Boy Viswanath Praveen proposed the vote of thanks; he thanked the Board for conceptualizing the ISQUIZ, the Host School for the smooth conduct of the event and the sponsors for their relentless support.