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.