Over 19,000 Students Compete in the Second Stage of NSMO Across 47 Cities and Governorates

Today, (19,489) students from various regions across the Kingdom sat for the Second Stage examinations of the National Science and Mathematics Olympiad “NSMO”. The competition is organized by King Abdulaziz and his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity "Mawhiba" in strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education. 

Mawhiba stated that the examinations were conducted in person at the headquarters of the education directorates across (16) educational regions, as well as the Education Directorates for the Royal Commission in Jubail and Yanbu. The assessments spanned six scientific disciplines, featuring (5,830) students in Mathematics, (5,057) in Informatics, (2,220) in Biology, (2,218) in Physics, (2,102) in General Science, and (2,061) in Chemistry.

The Second Stage experienced the implementation of intensive training programs as part of the track to prepare and qualify students for advanced competitions. These programs were conducted across (47) cities and governorates over (5) days, at a rate of (6) hours per day, under the supervision of (778) male and female teachers who had been pre-trained and qualified through education directorates for this purpose.

Pursuant to the competition's results to be announced in the coming days, education directorates are set to commence forming their preliminary teams of distinguished students. This process serves as preparation for the Third Stage, which encompasses departmental training and the national team examinations.

NSMO stands as the premier and largest annual national competition specializing in the fields of Science and Mathematics. Targeting students from Grade (7) through Grade (10), the competition unfolds through progressive stages starting at the school level, expanding to cities and governorates, and culminating in the national team competition for education directorates and the Olympiad finals in Riyadh. This rigorous process aims at identifying and fostering gifted students, empowering and preparing them to excel in international scientific Olympiads.

NSMO aims at expanding the scope of identifying and fostering gifted students within public education and localizing Olympiad science training within education directorates. It seeks to increase the number of beneficiaries of specialized programs, foster scientific interests, and enhance teacher performance. Furthermore, the initiative focuses on enriching curricula with problems that develop higher-order thinking skills, thereby bolstering students' readiness for global competition. 

In its inaugural edition, NSMO recorded the participation of (99,179) students, representing (8,356) schools across (47) cities and governorates within (16) educational regions. This remarkable turnout reflected the broad base of participation and the profound scientific ambition thriving among students.