Balochistan Point Voice of Nation
By: Suleman Hashim
Gwadar’s first ever one-day Science Festival enthralled people from all over Balochistan as well as people from other provinces on Saturday at Model High School Gwadar. The festival was organized by Education Department Gwadar, Gwadar Association of Professional Education, Deputy Commissioner Gwadar, District Government Gwadar, Hameed Honda, Pakistan Alliance of Math and Science and Bamsar.
Different high schools participated from all over the district that featured breathtaking science projects, a quiz competition and hands on activities. The young scientists of Gwadar on different stalls explained their creative projects and models to the visitors. The visitors could imagine the excitement of students when they explained their adventures of discovering solutions to problems through science.
The Chief Justice Balochistan High Court Mohammad Noor Miskanzai augurated the festival whereas Deputy Commissioner Gwadar Dawood Khilji, Commissioner Makran Mohammad Ayaz Mandokhel, Chairman Gwadar Port Authority Dostain Khan Jamaldini, Colonel Abdul Rasheed, officials from Gwadar Education Department, District Government, members of Pakistan Science Club and Pakistan Alliance of Math and Science were present at the event.
To keep the event lively, Pakistan’s young scientist Habab Idrees engaged the audience with hands on activities. Idrees is the first Pakistani to have received dual honor at Intel International Science and Engineering Fair scientist (ISEF) 2015 in Pittsburg. His presence was encouraging for the students of Gwadar as they seemed excited to further participate in national and international science competitions as Habab did.
“Through today’s event, our children have proved that they have talent in science, now it is our responsibility to promote their talent,” said Chief Justice. He also emphasized on the need to invest more in education and promote practical science at schools.
Even if most schools in Gwadar are deprived of facilities specially when it comes to science labs and equipment, the students of Gwadar are as capable of innovation as the students of any other part of the country. The only thing needed are platforms to believe in their creativity and curiosity. Gwadar Science Festival is an initiative to push to conversation to forth more practical results in future.
Chairman Gwadar Port Authority termed Gwadar Science Festival a historic moment defining it as the course of future development in Gwadar.
Most models presented in the festival by the students were solutions to local issues. Water scarcity enjoyed as the prominent theme. Two students from Girls High School Sur Bander won a prize for their electronic water level indicator to conserve water from wasting. They told The Balochistan Point that they do not a science teacher at their school and that they worked on their project in the absence of a teacher. Two other students from boys’ school presented their model for a successful water desalination plant as a better solution to Gwadar’s water crisis. Several other projects which included robotics, hydraulics, web and app development, instruments to indicate earthquakes were also presented by the students.
Limited number of teachers, inadequate science equipment, and lack of science laboratories were highlighted by the speakers as the biggest hindrance for the students of Gwadar to bridge the scientific divide.
Prizes were distributed among the winners of Quiz competitions and to the presenters of the best science projects. The organizers also thanked all the visitors and appreciated the students for their innovative ideas.
Published in The Balochistan Point on April 28, 2018
