Officials with students during the field visit to the Destination Imagination programme to observe the challenges and student experiences,
Doha, Qatar: Al Faisal Without Borders Foundation (Alf), in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, implemented the National Championship of the Destination Imagination (DI) programme, which the foundation runs in public and private schools across the State of Qatar.
A total of 110 public and private schools participated in this edition, represented by 233 school teams, involving nearly 2,000 students from various educational stages. More than 10 training workshops were conducted, including training sessions for team managers and judges, aimed at enhancing performance quality during the championship. The workshops explained the programme stages and provided scientific and practical training. In addition, 120 field visits were carried out to schools to monitor progress and improve students’ performance during the training phase.
The National Championship was held on February 6 and 7 at the College of Education, Qatar University. The presented performances demonstrated remarkable creativity and innovation in addressing the programme’s various challenges, reflecting the programme’s high quality and the advancement of education in Qatar. The programme evolves annually in line with global developments. In this edition, artificial intelligence was introduced across all challenges, along with the use of the latest technological and scientific methods within the theatrical performances delivered by students.
The results and winners will be announced by the end of the current week, and an award ceremony for the top three winning school teams will be held in April at the Qatar National Convention Centre.
During the official field visit to the Destination Imagination programme to observe the challenges, student experiences, and the program’s impact on nurturing creativity and skills, the delegation included Eng. Abdul Latif Ali Al-Yafai General General, Al Faisal Without Borders Foundation, Omar Abdulaziz Al Naama Assistant Undersecretary for Private Education Affairs, Ministry of Education and Higher Education Mona El Helbawi Group General Manager, Al Rayyan Investment in Culture, Education and Sports (ARIES Group), Nawal Al-Tamimi Assistant Director, Curriculum and Scientific Research Department, Dr. Nasser Al-Dosari – Representative, College of Education, Qatar University, Ghanem Al-Humaidi – Head of the Research, Talent and Innovation Section at the Curriculum Department and Learning Resources at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
Eng. Abdul Latif emphasized that the Destination Imagination programme encourages students to think without limits to find solutions to challenges, develops creative thinking, and enhances competitive spirit. The programme also enables students to learn from other participating teams by viewing solutions from multiple perspectives and approaches, using theatrical or technological tools.
Participation in the global championship further equips students with new skills and allows them to explore diverse cultures worldwide.
He added that more than 25,000 students have benefited from the programme since its launch in 2014, expressing appreciation to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education for their continuous support, and to Qatar University, represented by the College of Education, for logistical support.
Omar Abdulaziz Al-Nuaimi praised the students’ creativity in integrating theatrical performance with engineering and visual technologies, their effective use of technology, and their ability to present solutions within the eight-minute time limit. He also commended the growing number of participating teams and beneficiaries across previous seasons, thanked H E Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, Chairman of the Board, and expressed appreciation to all staff of Al Faisal Without Borders Foundation for their efforts in implementing this pioneering programme, the first of its kind in the region.
Mona El Helbawi, ARIES Group General Manager, thanked all participating schools and especially commended the foundation’s team for organizing training workshops for teachers, team managers, and student trainers. She emphasized that a purposeful and diverse programme like Destination Imagination serves as a strong motivational factor, noting that winning in the previous season encouraged teams to participate again.
