Fayez, Deputy Minister of Education, reiterated the need to care for and support male and female teachers – for the benefit of students. She was speaking Thursday in Riyadh during the final ceremony to honor female students who have qualified for the second stage for the National Olympiad for Creativity (Ibdaa') in Riyadh Region, which was organized by the King Abdul Aziz and His Men Foundation for Giftedness with the Ministry of Education. The number of female students in the region participating in the Olympiad in the areas of scientific research and innovation has reached 450, said Maisoon Al-Suwailim, Director of the National Olympiad and Director of the Administration for Female Students' Activities in Riyadh Region. Those students presented 391 projects; 139 of them in innovation have won and 24 scientific research projects have qualified in that track, she said. The names of the 73 female winners in the eliminations for the second stage in both tracks have been announced, she added. In Madina, 65 male innovators and researchers in the exhibition for the National Olympiad have been recognized as the best among 1,200 students participating in the exhibition with innovation and research works, which was held at the Student's House (Bait Al-Talib). Humaid Muhammad Al-Ahmadi, Assistant Director of Education for School Affairs, said the program achieved many goals focusing on displaying students' talents and capabilities in scientific research and innovation. A number of the innovations have good value that can be developed and provide benefits, he added. The second stage of the program will start in the second semester, with the participation of all the students in Madina Governorate, to select the best research and innovation projects to participate in the finals at the Kingdom's level; the best of those projects will represent the Kingdom at the international level, said Abdullah Ahmad Al-Zahrani, Director of the exhibition. In scientific research, three students – Assim Al-Raddadi, Bassam Al-Alawi and Mahmood Osama – from Amr Bin Abdul Malik Al-Awsi School won the first place for their research “Shopping Trolleys and Germs.” Hazim Abdul Aziz Al-Zahoufi, a student from Prince Abdul Muhsin Bin Abdul Aziz Secondary School, won first place in the field of innovation with his project “The World Safety Car.” In Bisha Governorate, 16 researchers and innovators have won places in the National Olympiad as the best participations out of 400 works in the exhibition held Wednesday in Bisha. The participation of Bisha Education Administration in the Olympiad comes within the sphere of developing the spirit of creativity among students to encourage them to participate with projects, which will be evaluated to qualify for the second stage, said Sa'eed Bin Farha Aal Othman, Director of Education in Bisha. Khaled Bin Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, Assistant Director of Boys' Education and chairman of the Olympiad's Higher Committee, said there were 300 projects and 40 were selected, half for innovation and half for scientific research. Sa'eed Bin Qaat Al-Nahisi, Director of the event, said eight boys' projects were chosen for the two tracks to participate in the second stage, which would be organized in Asir Region in February. The number of projects by female students participating in the exhibition has reached 102 and eight of them will be selected for the second stage, said Fatima Al-Mu'eedh, head of Female Students' Activities in Bisha Education Administration.
