Islamabad: A team of seven young Pakistani students is all set to participate in the global finals to be held in the United States after winning the technical challenge at the Destination Imagination educational event in Dubai, UAE.
The team, aged between 5 and 11 years, celebrated as the “youngest team” at the event, “won several awards, demonstrating their exceptional creative and problem-solving skills,” according to a statement by The International School (TIS) based in Karachi.
The students won the piece-by-piece technical challenge category, where they had to create a hydraulic puzzle and solve it.
The young team “worked tirelessly for weeks to build, design, and test their innovative solutions” for the challenge.
“Their hard work highest paid off and the students were the ‘Youngest team’ of the event to lift the first position cup with the highest instant challenge score in the history of the event,” said Taymur Mirza, the head of TIS.
The event was organised by Destination Imagination (DI), a nonprofit organization focused on teaching students the creative process through hands-on science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) challenges. Over 50 schools from around the world participated in the event held in Dubai in late March 2023.
Winning team
The winning team members from Pakistan are Javeria Siddiqui, Raahem Shafique Faridi, Azlan Malik, Ayesha Salman, Mishaal Fatima, Khadija Sultan, and Zamiyaar Saud, who are from grades 1 to 5.
“I am extremely proud of my child and the entire team of Pakistani students for winning the challenge at such a young age.
It is incredible to see my daughter represent Pakistan on an international platform” said Warda Siddiqui, a proud parent of one of the winning students Javeria Siddiqui, who is the youngest member of this team at six years old.
The impressive performance of the students is a proud moment for the school. “This is a testament to their unwavering dedication and their ability to work together as a team under the guidance of Asil Budhwani, STEAM teacher and coordinator, to achieve their goals.” The Destination Imagination event was “a fantastic opportunity for the students to display their talents and represent their school on an international stage” the school administration added.
From Dubai to Kansas City
Following the outstanding achievement at the UAE event, the Pakistani students have earned their place in the Global Finals of Destination Imagination, which will take place on May 20, 2023, at the Kansas City Convention Center in Missouri, United States. The team will represent Pakistan, competing against teams from all over the world. The DI ‘Global Finals’ event celebrates creativity and the creative problem-solving process for children of all ages, offering them the opportunity to come together to share their creativity and their cultures.
