Doha, November 10 (QNA) - The Fourth Arab Mathematics Olympiad 2024 kicked off Sunday in Doha. The Olympiad, which will conclude on November 14, is organized by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Qatar, in partnership with the Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) and the Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture, and Science.

HE Buthaina Bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi, the Minister of Education and Higher Education, Chairperson of the Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, said that organizing the Fourth Arab Mathematics Olympiad falls under the umbrella of ALECSO and aims to enhance communication between Arab students, develop the spirit of excellence, creativity, talent and self-confidence, and pay attention to the sciences of mathematics and develop its curricula and improving its teaching methods.

Her Excellency noted in her opening speech that mathematics is one of the basic sciences on which many applied sciences depend, based on thinking, setting hypotheses, and mathematical proofs, stressing that working on developing curricula to improve the quality of education and develop students' skills has become an urgent need to keep pace with current developments and modern life, in a world characterized by rapid development and technological progress.

She explained that the Arab Mathematics Olympiad comes to crystallize the interest of Arab countries in developing the performance of their students in modern sciences as a basic requirement for sustainable development, noting that their continuous competition in mathematics constitutes a solid foundation for discovering and sponsoring distinguished students to increase their scientific capabilities and creativity in all Arab countries, which undoubtedly contributes to raising the scientific level of students and teachers, and instills the values of cooperation and exchange of experiences and expertise among participants in an enjoyable environment outside the classroom, in addition to qualifying them for the advanced level by entering the International Mathematics Olympiad and meeting what this requires in terms of tremendous ability in the context of global competition.

HE the Minister of Education and Higher Education added that when good results are attained in the Mathematics Olympiad locally, Arab or internationally by these young minds that are linked to their homeland and armed with science, the real winner is not only the students participating in the Olympiad but their countries that are proud of their excellence and expect from them a contribution to building a tangible renaissance in the fields of science, research, invention and discovery, following the directives of the leaders who have overcome all obstacles and provided all possibilities.

HE Buthaina Bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi expressed her thanks and appreciation to all those who cooperated in organizing this edition of the Olympiad, headed by ALECSO and the members of the organizing committees, for their tireless efforts in this regard, while hoping that their efforts will be crowned with success to achieve all the objectives set for this distinguished scientific meeting, wishing success to all the distinguished students in mathematics who represent their countries very well in this event.

HE ALECSO Director-General Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar extended sincere thanks to the leadership, government and people of the State of Qatar for its leading role in bolstering joint Arab action, unwavering support for sustainable development for all Arabs, and its regional and global advocacy for Arab causes.

His Excellency hailed the State of Qatar's hosting of the Fourth Arab Mathematics Olympiad, its support for the ALECSO, and the good cooperation and distinguished coordination of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education with ALECSO in preparing well for the Olympiad.

ALECSO has been working since its establishment and sustainably with Arab countries to develop education and make it available to all, in embodiment of its work plans and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, he added. 

His Excellency said the Arab Mathematics Olympiad, since its inception in 2018, has been a platform that gives extracurricular mathematical challenges to nurture positive competency among Arab students and develop their analytical abilities and problem-solving skills.

Meanwhile, International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) President Dr. Gregor Dolinar extended his thanks to the MOEHE and ALECSO for organizing the event, highlighting the importance of providing smart Arab students the opportunity to showcase their talents in an AI-dominated era. 

Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), MOEHE's Director of Educational Guidance Department Maryam Noman Al Emadi said 80 to 100 male and female students would be contesting in the Olympiad.  

She added there will be associated events that gather Arab mathematicians and a closing award ceremony.  

Al Emadi hailed Qatar's hosting of the event as a great achievement, with Qatari students being offered the opportunity to know about the cultures of other Arab countries and enrich their scientific knowledge.

The biennial event is part of the MOEHE's efforts to raise the students' scientific levels, develop their performance for the upcoming regional and international competitions and boost communication and positive competency among Arab students. (QNA)