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MagnifiScience Drama Competition

MagnifiScience Drama Competition 2024: A Collaborative Effort by TDF’s MagnifiScience Centre and U.S. Consulate General Karachi

MagnifiScience Drama Competition, a collaboration between The Dawood Foundation (TDF) and the United States Consulate General, Karachi, aimed to enhance the scientific knowledge of students through integrative arts. Aligned with the MagnifiScience Centre’s (MSC) mission of advancing science through informal education, the competition provided a creative platform for students to seamlessly integrate scientific concepts with artistic expression, transcending traditional classroom boundaries. It aimed to address significant issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss, prompting students to articulate their ideas through compelling drama performances.
The theme of the MagnifiScience Drama Competition 2024 was “Sustainable Future: Children in Action“.
This theme was aligned with the United Nations’ Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) and emphasized the pressing need for global efforts to preserve our planet. It encapsulated the competition’s focus on inspiring young minds to creatively express their perspectives on critical issues regarding climate change and biodiversity.
The competition encouraged participants to actively contribute to the global sustainability initiative, fostering their involvement in caring for the world. Recognising that children hold the key to the future; the competition provided a platform for them to showcase their creative solutions and insights. Through their artistic expressions, children became ambassadors for a sustainable future.

Project Brief

The competition was open to all registered schools in Sindh and Balochistan, with participating students ranging from 10 to 16 years old, and the grand prize was announced to be a fully functional STEAM lab which would be established at the winner school’s campus.

Theme for 2024
Registrations
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Scripts
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Video Recordings
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Live Performances
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Winner
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Project Timelines and Phases

Phase 1: Registration, Script Entries, and Shortlisting

The competition was open to all registered schools in Sindh and Balochistan, with participating students ranging from 10 to 16 years old. 52 schools registered for the competition. 41 submitted scripts were reviewed by the internal Script Evaluation Committee and the selected schools advanced to Phase 2 of the competition.

Phase 2: Video Entries and Shortlisting

The selected schools then had to submit a recording of their drama performance in a video format as per the provided guidelines for evaluation. All 37 video entries were evaluated on May 16th and 17th by an external jury including notable jurors like Romana Husain and Uzma Habib. The esteemed jury nominated top five performances for the final round.

Phase 3: Final On-Stage Performances

The Phase 3 of the competition was the final live performances which were held at TDF’s MagnifiScience Centre on June 6th, 2024, in Karachi. It featured performances from all five of the shortlisted schools including Government Higher Secondary School, Hussainabad, Khairpur Mirs, Sindh and an all-girls school from Khuzdar, Balochistan.

Finalist schools were invited to MagnifiScience Centre two days prior to the competition. The teams from Khairpur and Khuzdar arrived in Karachi on June 4th, and on their first day, they toured TDF Ghar.

Visit to TDF Ghar

On June 5th, the students enjoyed a visit to the MagnifiScience Centre where they were given the opportunity for on-stage rehearsals, and an exclusive theatre workshop by Saquib Adil Malik; a theatre actor, director, and founder of Kahani1949. The workshop focused on improving students’ dialogue delivery and stage presence.

Visit to MagnifiScience Centre

On-Stage Rehearsals & Theatre Workshop

Stage Performances

The final event, held at TDF’s MagnifiScience Centre was attended by cultural representatives, and judges including Mr. Kahlid Anam, Ms. Rumana Husain, and Mr. Shamoon Abbasi, who were in awe of the students’ performances and admired their hardwork and dedication.

MagnifiScience Drama Competition Winner

The winner of MagnifiScience Drama Competition was Government Higher Secondary School Hussainabad, Khairpur Mirs, Sindh. Their spectacular performance focused on biodiversity conservation, specifically highlighting the importance of protecting the endangered Indus River blind dolphins from illegal fishing threats.

Grand Prize - Establishment of STEAM Lab

The winning school was awarded a fully equipped STEAM lab as the grand prize. Notably, this is the first state-of-the-art STEAM lab in Sindh outside of Karachi.
The lab was inaugurated on November 20th, 2024, at Government Higher Secondary School Hussainabad, Khairpur Mirs, by the US Consul General, Mr. Scott Urbom and TDF’s higher management including CEO Mr. Favad Somroo, and Director MSC, Mr. Shakeel Ahmed.

This project is an extension of the US Grant initiative, “Expanding STEM Education”. The lab stands as a testament to fostering curiosity, building scientific knowledge, and inspiring young minds and broader communities.

Project Expansion - STEAM Teachers Training

TDF’s MagnifiScience Centre conducted a six-day STEAM education training for four teachers from Government Higher Secondary School, Hussainabad, from December 22nd, 2024 to December 27th, 2024. The training focused on TDF’s specialized bilingual STEAM modules (provided both in English and Sindhi), equipping the teachers to effectively manage and utilize the newly established STEAM lab at their school.
During the program at MagnifiScience Centre, Karachi, the teachers explored the STEAM curriculum, engaging in conceptual learning, and practicing innovative DIY and hands-on activities to enhance their teaching skills.