Aligning itself to the Sultanate’s objectives of building a knowledge economy, Eshraqa, the Corporate Social Responsibility Arm of Khimji Ramdas, has announced the opening of the Stemazone Center at the Children’s Museum in Qurum- Muscat. Stemazone, the STEAM education program aims to introduce Omani children to the wonderful world of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. Stemazone is being presented in partnership with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ministry of Culture, Sports & Youth (MoYSC). While its operations commenced in November, the museum is not open for the public yet but the new Stemazone Centre is receiving schools that have pre-booked their slots. The programme is also available online at www.stemazoneoman.om. The online platform ‘e-stemazone’ offers virtual workshops and a host of other interactive learning tools.
“The jobs of the future will need specialised skills, hence relevant education becomes the building blocks for any nation. We have chosen the innovative STEAM educational program for this initiative to teach and inspire students to imbibe future skills required in the local and global labor market, in line with Oman Vision 2040,” said Nailesh Khimji, Director, Khimji Ramdas. “It gives me great honour to also announce that Eshraqa’s Stemazone has recently won a number of awards including the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth (MoCSY)’s Youth Proficiency Award which recognises and honours significant initiatives that are innovative and exemplary. The initiative was also honored with three coveted titles at the Future Skills and HRD Awards, which were held under the supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Labor.”
“Despite the fact that the education system was no exception to the immense challenges faced during the Covid-19 pandemic, the initiative has proven its success in providing appropriate alternatives to benefit students from it. We are proud to partner with Eshraqa in launching Stemazone initiative – a successful exemplary integration between the public and private sectors, building the innovative and creative capabilities of young people,” said Dr. Maya Al Azri, Director of the Department of Innovation and Science Olympiad, MoE. “This comes in the framework of achieving the outlined objectives of the national agenda that aim to build an effective national ecosystem for scientific research, creativity, and innovation, based on national competencies with viable competitive capabilities that contributes towards fostering the development of Oman’s knowledge-based, diversified and sustainable economy.”
Mirroring similar values geared at making a lasting difference in the world by enriching the lives of individuals, Eshraqa has also joined hands with DAI Global to ensure that the programme is implemented according to global standards. “We are proud to partner with Eshraqa, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth to contribute to realising Oman’s Vision 2040. The Stemazone initiative was designed and implemented according to global standards, taking into consideration the Sultanate and its future vision,” said Ahmed Al Abri, Sr. Manager, DAI Global.
Commenting on the launch of the Stemazone center in the Children’s Museum, Salwa Al Rashdi, Acting Director of Children’s Museum said, “We are delighted to launch the Stemazone centre in the Children’s Museum in cooperation with Eshraqa and the Ministry of Education. Through this unique programme, we seek to inspire the youth of Oman to explore and learn future skills in an innovative educational way, enabling them to be productive in the world of the modern knowledge economy.”
As part of its continued efforts to make a difference in the educational sector, the Stemazone team has started school visits and has also conducted workshops during school days. Under its new upcoming programme called “Stemazone ambassadors”, the initiative seeks to identify a number of talented students from different Wilayats who will become key representatives of Stemazone in their respective locations.
Through Stemazone, Eshraqa aims to promote future skills learning through STEAM education methodology and open up promising career paths that are in alignment with the vision of a knowledge economy
The Stemazone programme in the Children’s Museum follows all Covid-19 protocols set by the Supreme Committee and the MoE and is limiting the number of students per session. Schools interested in booking a session can conveniently do so by contacting the Stemazone team or the Children’s Museum.
