HIBAPRESS – Ahmed Al-Musaed
Under the high patronage of King Mohammed VI, and with the significant presence of official figures, led by the Wali of the Oriental Region and the President of the Regional Council, the activities of the thirteenth edition of the "Eastern Sciences Festival" were launched in the city of Oujda this Thursday afternoon, February 12th. This edition, organized by the "Omar bin Abdulaziz Foundation" from February 12th to 14th, comes under the slogan "Science for All and With It We Build Tomorrow."
This year's edition has a special celebratory character; as it coincides with the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the "House of Sciences for the Oriental Region," a project that has become a beacon for consolidating scientific culture and bringing knowledge closer to various societal groups, especially the younger generations.
The general program of this edition is also distinguished by its practical field approach, as it includes school workshops: organizing 125 scientific workshops for the benefit of more than 9,300 male and female students, distributed across five secondary schools in Oujda (Moulay Ismail, Al-Karkarat, Abdelmalek Al-Saadi, Al-Makki Al-Nasiri, and Al-Riyad); the festival village: Omar bin Abdulaziz Secondary School hosts the "village" which includes 80 diverse workshops, and is expected to receive about 7,000 visitors to explore the fields of physics, astronomy, health, and environment; digital transformation and information security: in response to technological challenges, 100 digitalization workshops were allocated, with a focus on "cyber security" through awareness meetings for families, and a major national competition under the name "Cyber Drill" with the participation of 30 teams of talented people, and in this edition the participation of major national institutions, such as the General Directorate of National Security and the Digital Development Agency, is highlighted.
The President of the Omar bin Abdulaziz Foundation, Jawad Benaadi, also emphasized the importance of the partnership with the "Grand Est" region of France and with the support of the "French Development Agency" (AFD), to expand these activities and sensitize children to the importance of digitalization in all provinces of the Oriental region, and the Secretary General of the Association, Raja Abdo, explained that the ultimate goal is to help young people make sound decisions in their educational and professional guidance and keep pace with the artificial intelligence boom.
The activities will conclude with a major evening on Saturday, February 14th at the Mohammed VI Theater in Oujda, to crown the participants and celebrate the partners. This festival falls within a strategic vision that makes Oujda an open scientific platform and a laboratory for consolidating the culture of innovation, which contributes to preparing a generation capable of meeting the challenges of the Kingdom's digital transition.
