Friday 19 / April / 2024
Muscat – Shell NXplorers, Shell’s innovative educational programme that was launched in 2018 in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MoE), has now expanded to cover junior students from grade 5 to 8, in addition to the existing senior students from grade 9 to 12.
Now in its fourth year, Shell NXplorers continues to successfully build awareness, provide thinking tools and develop the creative and complex problem-solving skills of students in schools across Oman.
Since its launch in 2018, the Shell NXplorers programme has benefitted more than 1964 students, and has equipped over 190 teachers with key skills to mentor and nurture Omani youth in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). The programme saw the participation of over 500 students and 66 teachers from 22 schools across the Sultanate of Oman in 2021 alone, and is well on its way to add to those numbers in the coming year.
Introducing the Shell NXplorers Junior this year, the programme has trained 44 science and maths teachers from different governorates of the Sultanate of Oman. The training sessions have seen teachers develop essential skills needed to play mentorship roles through both, hands-on activities and regular training materials. With some teachers joining for the first time, the Shell NXplorers programme has also witnessed the return of teachers that have been with the course since its inception in 2018.
As part of the programme’s expansion plan, Oman Shell is collaborating with Kidsity, an Omani educational company which will help deliver the programme in an efficient and innovative manner for STEM teachers and students in schools across Oman.
Commenting on the impact Shell NXplorers has had on Oman’s youth, Malak Al Shaibani, General Manager - Corporate Relations and In-Country Value at Oman Shell stated, “Shell is committed to supporting the Sultanate of Oman through sustainable social investment programmes like Shell NXplorers, and seeks to inspire Omani youth by instilling an innovative mindset and a strong interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) related fields of study at an early age. Initiatives like the NXplorers programme are an essential part of Oman Shell’s commitment towards supporting the Sultanate’s energy transition and national economic diversification goals outlined in Oman Vision 2040.”
“We have already seen the successful implementation of the course in the first phase of the programme, with senior school students from our solar schools in the 22 governorates launching pioneering and innovative projects that helped create a positive change within their communities”, she added.
Shell NXplorers uniquely contributes to the implementation of Oman Vision 2040, as it creates relevant and purposeful ways to give young people the tools they need to shape and create positive change.
