2 Emiratis
 in French chemistry olympiad

Twelth-graders Ahmed Bader Alhashmi and Mohamed Khalifa Al-Ali, who ranked 62 and 81 out of a total of 266 students, are from Al Ittihad Model School which follows a customised Lycee Louis le Grand (LLG) French curriculum for maths, physics and chemistry but teaches in English.

The boys competed in the 2013 French National Chemistry Olympiad in Paris last week, after their outstanding performance in the qualifying examination earlier in the year. Both Alhashmi and Al-Ali said they wanted to learn more about chemistry and conduct more experiments first hand.

Alhashmi said he joined the LLG pilot class because he liked the learning style.

“We are learning how and when to create and use the tools in order to solve problems and not just apply them. Joining the LLG pilot class helped us improve our English language skills (because we are) being taught in English and will continue our college studies in English too.”

Al-Ali said he appreciates the opportunity to compete internationally in the discipline. “We joined the Olympiad because we like chemistry. It was very entertaining because in chemistry, we do a lot of cool and interesting stuff and at the same time it is fun. For us, it is also a perfect way to meet many people as it gives a different perspective about another education system and culture.”

Abu Dhabi Education Council’s Student Affairs Division manager Humaid Abdullah said it was the second year in a row that Emirati students from the public school had competed at the event.

“We look forward to encouraging more qualified students to take part in the competition, since it helps boosts their confidence, gives them hands-on experience as well as exposes them to different methods in chemistry. The Adec is proud of its students for their high-achieving ranks and wishes them success in their higher education journey and career path.”

The olympiad had participants from countries including Spain, Belgium, Colombia, the USA, Congo, Haiti and Madagascar.

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