Culture & Education | Wednesday 28 January, 2015 8:39 am |

The late Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah gave a boost to the education sector when he launched the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity “Mawhiba” in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.
The late king believed that education was the way forward for his people and gave top priority to the acquiring of a good education which was also reflected in the large chunk of the budget allocated to this sector.

Mawhiba was established in 1999 with the aim to discover budding talent among Saudi youth in the fields of modern science, physics, technology and mathematics and enable them to compete at the international level.

Thanks to his initiative, the foundation has become a huge success regionally and internationally and been boosted by gifted and talented Saudis who have brought fame and accolades to their country.
Saudi Arabia garnered 26 awards at various Intel ISEF events, including the one held in Los Angeles in 2014, with the participation of 79 countries and 3,871 students.
Among Arab countries, the Kingdom’s representatives won 36 awards at various Intel Science Competition (ISCArab) including the one held in Qatar last year where Saudi students won six awards, in addition to two special awards.

They also garnered 24 awards in Malaysian events and raised the country’s flag at the International Technical Exhibition of Inventions and Innovations “ITEX2014” hosted by Malaysia where Saudi Arabia received 20 medals (nine gold, nine silver and two bronze medals). Saudi Arabia also won 23 awards at the Taipei World Exhibition of Inventors (INST) in 2012 and 2013. In 2013 KSA won 18 awards, from among more than 700 participants from 21 countries.

For the third time in a row, Saudi students landed 18 awards in the Gulf Mathematics Olympiad (GMO) including the one held in 2014 which was organized by the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf Arab States, and hosted by the Sultanate of Oman. There were 42 students representing seven members of the GCC states.

The Kingdom also won 77 Awards at the International Mathematics Olympiad, in physics and chemistry. Saudi Arabia is a new entrant compared to other advanced countries. Even so, the Kingdom has maintained its winning streak one after another bringing laurels to the late king and the country.