Reem Haitham wins British Council’s National Science Stars Competition

Cairo, 23 February 2020: The British Council celebrated the top three winners of its first Science Stars competition, on Thursday at their head office in Agouza, in the presence of Alex Lambert, the Deputy Director of the British Council; Professor Yehia Bahei El-Din, the founding director of the Centre for Advanced Materials at British University of Egypt (BUE); British Council staff; and teachers, school leaders and parents, from Greater Cairo, Alexandria, and Mansoura.

Eight out of the ten shortlisted students at the finals were female. The three winners Reem Haitham, from Salahaldin International School in Alexandria, Omar Tarek, from Al Bashayer International School, and Gana Sherif, from Summits International Schools, all received an internship in the science department at the British University in Egypt
A total of 125 students from 28 schools participated in the competition.

The three-minute winning presentations included simple, clear, and creative ways to describe complicated scientific concepts like matter and antimatter and black holes.

The competition was launched by British Council in Egypt as a student engagement programme designed to drive students’ passion for STEM, cultivate their skills in science communication, and drive a conversation among the general public around science.

Alex Lambert, Deputy Country Director of the British Council in Egypt said: “The British Council has already been fostering science communication for over 10 years in Egypt through Famelab, a competition targeting older science enthusiasts, which even lead to job creation for our participants.



And this year, we are proud of Science Stars’ young talent, who were inspiring ambassadors of their schools today” Nour Fawzy, participant and student at the Salahaldin International School in Alexandria said:

“Science communication is like the gatekeeper who lets people into the lab and scientists inside of it to engage with the public. It is the bridge between both worlds, and it is important, because non-scientific people deserve to know how science affects their world” Extracurricular activities by the British Council like Science Stars, Code Club, and Your World Competition, are strongly linked to academic excellence, igniting children’s curiosity and positive attitude towards learning. They are part of the value-added services designed globally or inspired by international programmes and delivered in Egypt to 140 schools within British Council’s Partner Schools Global Network.

Yasser Ali, Head of Exams Business Development, of British Council in Egypt thanked teachers for imbedding the seeds of passion for learning in students. He added: “To parents I say, the best investment you make is in your children’s education and choosing UK qualifications is supporting their path in life, school and work, with 21st century problem solving and critical thinking skills.

“Studies show that curiosity boosts levels of mental and physical energy. Not only are our science stars growing through this programme, but everyone in the audience today became curious about a scientific concept, some of them even googled anti-matter, the topic of Reem’s presentation.

This is our larger purpose: to get regular people curious about science” The British Council supports its partner schools with administrative and operative roles as it liaises between the Awarding Bodies (Pearson Edexcel, Oxford, and Cambridge) and two Egyptian Ministries, ensuring the integrity of the exams system at every stage. It also actively supports teachers’ development and with school activities enhancing educational knowledge.

It connects schools with governing authorities, as well as with the latest teaching and learning techniques, through networking events like the global Schools Now! conference, which will be held in Egypt this year, with the presence of Tarek Shawky, Minister of Education, and over 300 delegates from around the world. The fifth Schools Now! conference takes place 4-5 March
2020 in Cairo.