Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — As many as 4,119 male and female students took the second phase of Mawhoob test in 72 centers in various regions of the Kingdom to compete and represent Saudi Arabia globally.

The students competed in different specializations, including mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and science. The test was organized by the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba) within a strategic partnership with the Education Ministry.

The candidates will join the Mawhiba International Olympiad, which will be held at the Royal Commission for Jubail for male students, while the female students will compete at Princess Nourah Bint Abdul Rahman University in Riyadh, during 4-13 January 2024,

The competition targets the students from the sixth grade of primary school to the second grade of secondary school, as it aims to explore the talented students in science, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy and space, in order to enroll them in specialized training programs, to train and qualify them to join the competitions and Olympiads held annually.

It also focuses on supporting the students with specialized training programs, developing the educational process, and to nominate the talented students to join the Saudi teams that participate in the international Olympiad.

The winners of the competition will enter the Mawhiba International Olympiad program, and after two years, several students will be selected to represent Saudi Arabia in 19 regional and international Olympiads.

The competition also aim to raise the Kingdom's name in the international competitions, enhance the confidence of the national capability to compete there, and increase the society's awareness of their role, and develop the spirit of scientific competition among the elements of the educational process, in addition to contributing to building a creative generation capable of dealing with scientific language.

The number of students registered in all of the specializations was 46,343, of whom 28,909 students werefrom government schools, 14,193 students from private schools, 3,240 from foreign schools.

In all, 25,521 female and 20,821 male students, representing 47 educational departments, registered in different specializations; mathematics had 14,226 students, biology 7,194 students, sciences 6,758, physics 2,274, and chemistry 2,115. There are 13,775 students registered in astronomy and space category.

The International Olympiads are high-level annual global competitions and among the strongest scientific competitions for general education students. They have been held in the summer of every year for more than 50 years, hosted by one of the participating countries.

As for the process of students joining the competitions, it begins with nominating them to participate based on their performance in the training forums. This is done by passing the tests held in the forums until the students reach the nomination tests for the final competitions.