Under the aegis of the Board of Directors, Indian Schools in Oman, the inauguration of Science Technology and Innovation in Education (STAI) was conducted on 27th August 2022 at the Senior School auditorium, Indian School Darsait. The event was aimed at showcasing the talents of young minds in the areas of Science, Technology and Innovation under the tag line “Ingenious Creative mind”.
The Chief Guest Dr. Ali Saud Al Bimani, Vice-Chancellor, National University of Science & Technology inaugurated the STAI 2022 and expressed his views with his key profound thoughts on how ‘out of the box ’thinking results in creativity. Mr. Mohammad Al Adavi, Director of the clubs and Sports Center Department graced the occasion as Guest of Honour and Dr. Sivakumar Manickam, Chairman, BoD, Indian Schools in Oman presided over the function.
Among the other dignitaries present on this occasion were, Mr. Sayed Salman, Vice Chairman, Board of Directors, Mrs. Ashwini Sawrikar, Finance Director, Mr. Sebastian Chungath, President, School Management Committee, Indian School Darsait, Mr. M P Vinoba, Sr. Principal and Education Advisor (BoD), Dr. Gokuladas VK, Asst. Education Advisor (Operations, BoD), STAI Chairperson- Mr. Ajit Vasudevan, Convener and Head Academic and Staff Welfare & Grievances Subcommittees, Indian School Darsait and members of the School Management Committee.
The event began with a tribute to India and the Sultanate of Oman, the Royal Anthem of Oman, followed by the school choir singing the National Anthem of India. The Function was inaugurated by lighting a ceremonial lamp and the school choir rendering a devotional song, to invoke the blessing of the almighty.
The formal proceedings of the event continued to unfold, with the welcome address by Mr. Ajit Vasudevan, Chairperson STAI 2022, who in his address, motivated the participants and shared his views on the various fields of science and technology and extended an official welcome to the esteemed dignitaries.
Dr. Sivakumar Manickam Chairman, Board of Directors, Indian Schools in Oman in his address shared majorly the role of technology in education. “Innovations have always been cornerstones of our growth. They are dominant forces in modern society that ultimately lead to overall development. STAI 2022 provides such a platform for students to use their scientific knowledge and bring the best invention from their brains. Apart from allowing students to work together in groups and learning from each other, sharing their ideas and collectively galvanizing those ideas to bring something innovative”, Chairman said.
The keynote Address was delivered by Mrs. Subhra Priyadarshini Chief Editor of Nature India, Springer Nature who joined the event online. Her speech included valuable and excellent views on how remarkable things could be achieved with keen sense of observation and learning from numerous things in nature. She also mentioned about students’ choice of opting careers as science journalists and communicators. The speech consisted of invaluable information that kept the audience engrossed and interested.
The Chief Guest, Dr. Ali Saud Al Bimani and the Guest of Honour Mr. Mohammad Al Adavi were felicitated with mementos by Dr. Sivakumar Manickam, Chairman, Board of Directors, Indian Schools in Oman and Mr. Sebastian Chungath, President, School Management Committee.
A short video on the highlights of STAI 2022 was presented revealing the details from online competitions held from 24th August to 26th August 2022 which was followed by a semi classical dance performance given by ISD students.
The vote of thanks was proposed by the Principal Mr. Amar Srivastava, who generously expressed his gratitude and appreciation to all the dignitaries for having spent their valuable time for the event, the participants were recognized and acknowledged for their effort and participation. Staff and the core team of STAI 2022 were also given due appreciation for the relentless support rendered throughout the event.
The inaugural function was followed by a spirited and spectacular competition in digital symposium – Artificial Intelligence: Past, Present & Future. As many as 15 teams competed neck and neck transporting the audience to new avenues of possibilities in Artificial Intelligence.