Innovative and creative student-designed projects displayed at Islamabad Science Festival 2019
The first-ever two-day Islamabad Science Festival attracted a large number of students from the twin cities to explore, learn and celebrate discoveries in science and scientific milestones in Pakistan.
The festival was held in Islamabad at Aiwan-e-Quaid F- 9 Park for school children and families in the capital city.
Over 40 government schools participated to display their science models and conduct experiments. Universities such as National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) and Institute of Space Technology (IST) are also exhibiting at the Festival, while several private and public science organisations including Engineering for Kids, Science Fuse, Learn-O-Bots, Robo Minors and the Pakistan Science Foundation have arranged for a series of enthralling science and robotics activities.
Islamabad Science Festival was inaugurated by Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat. “Science festival is a great platform for government schools to showcase their talent in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and to provide children with an enabling environment to pursue and absorb high- quality learning outside of a traditional government school setting.”
During the media talk, DC Islamabad Hamza Shafqaat emphasized on building a government-backed culture of celebrating and studying science that helps create school-university and school-industry linkages to have young students pick up interest in fields of science.
The festival was aimed at providing a platform for government school students who do not get a chance to display their talent due to lack of resources and funding.
Farhad Ahmed Jarral, the CEO of Campaignistan (the key organizer of the festival) said that the world nations are using maths and science to empower their citizens with higher incomes, and to help grow their economies. Specialised education in these two areas is not only integral to Pakistan’s prospects for economic growth, but also, to its ability to defend its people from the threat of violence, both globally and locally” he said.
Campaignistan, he said, has taken up the responsibility of popularising maths and science, as the performance of students in the whole country in maths and science subjects is a cause for concern. According to Pakistan Education Statistics 2017, 51% of Class 5 students of Islamabad are unable solve a 2-digit division, while students of Class 8 have an average score of 47.4 in science, he informed.
The festival is a collective effort of the recently launched campaign called Campaignistan, whose focus centers on science popularization and digital
inclusion in Pakistan, in collaboration with the District Commissioner Islamabad, Federal Directorate of Education, Graana, Coca Cola, ECO Science Foundation and Uber.
Previously, the team behind Campaignistan has been involved in successfully executing science festivals and activities in Tharparkar, Larkana, Gwadar, Mardan, Swat, and Faisalabad.
The second day of the festival will also include a panel discussion on ‘Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) for Sustainable Development’ by renowned science experts. The festival is open to public, free of charge, and continues on Sunday (April 28).