One of the 15 finalists selected for the 2017 World Innovation Summit Education (WISE) Awards is Shams Generation from Qatar, a solar energy initiative of Qatar Solar Technologies (QSTec).
The WISE Awards are to be announced in September.
Shams Generation aims to make learning about solar energy and sustainability a key component of education for every primary and high school student in Qatar and then expand across the region. The project seeks to promote creativity as well as build awareness of solar energy and develop the region’s solar industry.
Shams Generation (shams is Arabic for sun) is an innovative, hands-on educational initiative developed by QSTec, in collaboration with Qatar Museums, as an interactive learning programme that combines art, science, reused material and solar energy.
“The education of our youth on sustainability, renewable energies like solar, and the protection of the environment are tremendously important for the future of our planet,” Dr Khalid Klefeekh al-Hajri, QSTec chairman and CEO, and founder of Shams Generation, said in a statement.
“QSTec established Shams Generation in Qatar to address these important challenges head on. We are very proud of what we have achieved so far with this important initiative, and we are honoured to have been selected as a WISE Award finalist.”
Ameena Hussain, director, programmes and community development, WISE, said: “We congratulate Shams Generation of QSTec for making it to the finalist stage. The WISE Award finalists reflect our commitment to empowerment, collaboration, and transformation through
education.”
The pilot phase of the project was developed with five schools to enable QSTec to assess, refine and improve the initiative with teacher feedback from the participating schools. QSTec, in the second edition, expanded it to 20 schools and one university and in the third edition to 25 schools and two universities.
By the end of July, the initiative is expected to reach more than 10,000 students using the Shams Generation solar learning kits both within schools and through numerous special public event workshops. Since its inception, the programme has positively impacted well over 16,000 people within the community.
The initiative draws upon the students’ various academic skills to encourage learning through a hands-on approach. Along with enhancing students’ academic skills, Shams Generation develops teamwork, critical thinking, design, innovation and social engagement skills that foster lifelong learning.
The Shams Generation programme is based on three levels of solar education: from primary level to university. Each level consists of a specially designed solar kit, classroom curriculum, a teacher training workshop, implementation and exhibition and online support.
The project has developed a range of workshops for teachers that have been designed by professional educators, to provide them with the skills they need to instruct the students on how to use the solar learning kits. The teachers then work with their students using the solar kits and reused materials to design and build solar art projects that are in line with their age, learning ability and independence.
The solar art work produced by the students is exhibited in each of their schools and then the best works are shown collectively at a major exhibition.
The initiative is built on a multidisciplinary hands-on approach to learning by combining art, science and sustainability. Students are provided with Shams Generation solar kits, used to build and design solar powered art using reused materials.



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