ABU DHABI, 18th July, 2020 (WAM) — The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC, announced today, an exciting initiative to enhance Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, STEM, education among kids in the United Arab Emirates, UAE.
The initiative, called “STEM@Home”, enables children to remotely access STEM resources and learn new skills through engaging science-based challenges.
ADNOC embarked on the initiative to promote STEM education online among children as they continue to learn remotely due to COVID-19. Over 20,000 people have registered for the initiative since it was launched in June.
The STEM@Home initiative is free and available to children and youths aged 7 to 18 years. It features 10 STEM challenges and can be accessed from the “ADNOC STEM Program” page on Facebook. Participants will receive a certificate after completing each challenge and the winners will receive awards.
This initiative builds on ADNOC’s corporate social responsibility, CSR, programmes in support of STEM education and highlights the company’s commitment to investing in the development of the next generation of skilled workforce who will be the driving force of the UAE’s economy.
Reem Mubarak AlBuainain, Manager of ADNOC’s CSR Department, said: “ADNOC’s STEM@Home initiative is testament to our drive to invest in innovative programs that advance STEM education in the UAE and enable our children to develop the skills required to contribute to the nation’s long-term economic development. We are very pleased to offer this programme that ensures our youth will continue having access to STEM resources that stimulate creative thinking, in the safety and comfort of their homes during this unprecedented period.”
ADNOC’s STEM programmes are impacting over 16,000 students across 81 schools and 5 universities in the UAE. The programmes include the company’s partnership with Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management, ADMM, on the ‘Yas in Schools’ initiative which provides students across more than 450 schools in the UAE a pathway of project-based, motorsport-themed STEM learning programmes.
ADNOC is also partnering with the Japan Oil Development Co. Ltd., JODCO, and Kumon Institute of Education, KIE, to deploy the highly successful Kumon Method of learning mathematics in schools in Abu Dhabi and Al Dhafra regions, impacting almost 10,000 students from grades one to five.
In addition, ADNOC entered into a partnership with ATLAB and LEGO Education in 2017 to construct LEGO Education Innovation Studios in all ADNOC Schools and provide access to LEGO Education’s global online collaboration communities. ADNOC has also partnered with Sandooq Al Watan on the “UAE Coder” programme which seeks to enable students to develop skills in computer programming.
ADNOC’s other education initiatives include its agreement with the UAE Ministry of Education and Bloomberg L.P. to implement a program called the ADNOC-Bloomberg Education Initiative which will enable the installation of up to 200 Bloomberg Terminals at UAE universities, where students can learn how to analyse real-time financial market data, news, and trading tools.
Advancing STEM education in the UAE is a key objective of ADNOC’s CSR strategy that aims to create sustainable positive social impact by delivering programmes that support Ghadan 21 and the UAE’s economic development plans for Centennial 2071. The strategy is in line with the UAE leadership’s vision to build a modern education system focused on STEM, to empower young people and ensure they are equipped to meet the future needs of all business sectors in the country.
