Awqaf, education ministries launch research contest for students, teachers

DoQatar: The Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs (Awqaf), represented by the Department of Islamic Research and Studies, has launched an annual...

DoQatar: The Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs (Awqaf), represented by the Department of Islamic Research and Studies, has launched an annual research contest for teachers and students of both genders from public and private schools in Qatar, in collaboration with and coordination with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE). During a press conference attended by Undersecretary of the Ministry of Awqaf HE Dr. Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Ghanem Al-Thani, Director of the Department of Islamic Research and Studies at Awqaf, Sheikh Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Ghanem Al-Thani clarified that the contest aims to support and encourage scientific research, in pursuit of promoting the cultural and intellectual level of a wide swath of Qatari community segments, particularly teachers and school students.

Under the motto of "We read to think... and we write to elevate," the contest is structured into two key branches: the first devoted to teachers, addressing issues germane to education, and the second for students, who are required to summarize selected books, His Excellency highlighted. HE Sheikh Dr. Ghanem further indicated that the branch for teachers focuses on presenting a topic and multiple themes that annually address issues related to education, as well as everything that touches on the scientific and intellectual concerns of teachers. He outlined that this year's topic features five key themes, with the first theme tackling the conceptual and foundational framework for Islamic values in education, while the second focuses on Islamic values in building a positive educational environment. The third theme explores the mechanisms for integrating Islamic values into the curriculum, the fourth examines the role of teachers and school administration in promoting Islamic values, and the fifth weighs the challenges and solutions in integrating Islamic values into education. Regarding the student award, Awqaf explained that it involves providing a selection of books from which each student chooses one and then summarizes and presents it in a scholarly manner. Overall, the competition is structured into two distinct groups, with due consideration given to both the age bracket and the academic stage of the participating students. The first group encompasses male and female students in grades seven, eight, and nine (preparatory stage), whereas the second group comprises students in grades ten, eleven, and twelve (secondary stage). Concerning the special award designated for teachers, Awqaf outlined a set of rigorous conditions, some pertaining to the researcher personally and others governing the technical and substantive specifications of the submitted research paper. Among the stipulations related to the researcher are that the applicant must be a serving teacher at one of the public or private schools within the State of Qatar, must faithfully adhere to all declared themes, must inscribe their name solely on the title page, and must enclose a detailed curriculum vitae together with a copy of their Qatari identification card. The winning researcher shall be required to execute in full all corrections and observations prescribed by the panel of adjudicators. The ministry further highlighted that the total value of the awards allocated to the three winning teachers amounts to QR 150,000, with the first-place winner receiving QR 70,000, the second-place winner QR 50,000, and the third-place winner QR 30,000. The total value of the awards designated for the winning students stands at QR 120,000, with twenty winners selected from each group. They will be granted monetary prizes ranging between QR 3,500 and QR 1,000. Furthermore, the top three winners from each group will undergo an examination based on the books they have summarized. Accordingly, the first-place winner shall be granted an additional reward of QR 5,000, which will be added to the original prize value. In the event of a tie, all winners will receive the same supplementary reward.