Islamabad - Nine students from different schools of the country participated in international Olympiad of basic science subjects under STEM Career Programme supported by the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

The official said two teams of Pakistani students have participated in International Chemistry and Physics Olympiads at Bangkok, Thailand and Yogyakarta, Indonesia respectively.

Teams comprising four Chemistry and five Physics students competed against over 300 talented students of respective subjects from around the world. Students were selected under the STEM Careers Programme after nationwide screening tests held in all major cities of the country. Top 50 students for each competition were shortlisted for training in the subjects.

After attending three-week long training camps, these students were further shortlisted and trained. Finally, two teams were selected to represent Pakistan in these Olympiads.

Final camps for the two teams were set up in Hussain Ebrahim Jamal Research Institute of Chemistry, Karachi and Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Islamabad respectively. 

Students for Chemistry Olympiad included Maha Ayub from The Lyceum School, Karachi, Shah Muhammad Hassan from Generations School, Karachi; Amna Masood from Beaconhouse School System, Islamabad; and Mahnoor Moeen from Iqra Army Public School & College, Quetta.

Whereas, the team of Physics students comprised Muzammil Ali Shaikh from Government Degree College, Larkana, Baqir Hassan Jafry from Karachi Grammar School, Karachi, Zoraiz Naeem from Beaconhouse School System, Abbottabad, Ubaidullah from ACME College of Excellence, Sargodha and Muhamad Mubeen from FG Sir Syed College, The Mall, Rawalpindi.

These International Olympiads are one of the most prestigious competitions for college students up to age of 20 years.

The first International Chemistry Olympiad was held in Prague, Czech Republic in 1968, while the first International Physics Olympiad was held in Warsa, Poland in 1967. Over 75 countries send their teams to compete in each of these competitions.

STEM Careers Programme is a joint venture of Higher Education Commission (HEC) and PIEAS aimed at grooming talented youth of the nation to opt for career in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics and preparing them for participation in the annual International Olympiads in Physics, Biology, Mathematics and Chemistry.