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DUBAI / GULF TIME
Brighton College Dubai hosted the UAE regionals of The Tournament of Minds (ToM), an esteemed Australian educational competition designed to enhance pupils’ ability to tackle complex challenges through innovative problem-solving.
Five schools from Dubai and Abu Dhabi participated in the tournament’s latest edition, with over 105 pupils forming 16 teams, fostering a competitive spirit and collaborative environment. Pupils tackled a variety of spontaneous and long-term challenges in global and topical contexts.
The participating schools included: American Academy for Girls, Brighton College Dubai, Dubai British School Jumeirah Park, The English College Dubai, and Private International English School (PIES) Abu Dhabi. Each school demonstrated their commitment to curiosity, collaboration, and divergent thinking among pupils.
After six weeks of intensive preparation and presentations before a judging panel, the winners were announced. In the Social Sciences Primary category, Brighton College Dubai’s Brighton Blitz took first place, and The English College’s EC Invincibles earned honours. In the STEM Primary category, Private International English School’s PIES Primary team secured first place, while Dubai British School Jumeirah Park’s Team RAMLLA received honours. In the STEM Senior category, Dubai British School Jumeirah Park’s InnovEngineers claimed first place, with honours going to Private International English School’s PIES Senior team. In the Social Sciences Senior category, Dubai British School Jumeirah Park’s JP Geniuses took first place, while Brighton College Dubai’s Andromas Advocates were awarded honours.
Sarah Brannon, UAE Director of Tournament of Minds and Head of Prep at Brighton College Dubai commented on the event’s success: “It was fantastic to welcome so many talented and enthusiastic pupils to Brighton College Dubai for this year’s Tournament of Minds. The creativity, confidence, and teamwork on display throughout the day were exceptional. The challenges demanded deep thinking and imaginative solutions, and every team rose to the occasion. Congratulations to all who took part – and thank you to the schools, judges, and supporters who helped make the event such a success.”
During the competition, teams worked independently for six weeks to develop creative solutions to problems within predetermined parameters and criteria. In the STEM challenge, pupils were asked to focus on a specific aspect of plastic pollution and its impact on the environment. Each team had to devise an innovative device to remove or mitigate their chosen type of plastic pollution, explain what would happen to the collected waste, create a prototype, demonstrate how it works, and produce a scaled drawing of the device. In the Social Sciences challenge, teams addressed a fictional event that caused the continents to move, re-connect, and release the Spirit of ToM. They were tasked with exploring how this would affect the world as we know it and building a 3D model of The New World.
Bhadhra Vivek, Grade 7 pupil at Private International English School said, “The ‘Tournament of Minds’ urged me to step outside of my comfort zone and taught me the value of fortitude, cooperation, and innovative problem-solving. Despite tight deadlines, difficult assignments, and moments of uncertainty, which were just a few of the difficulties our team had to overcome, we never wavered, but rather helped each other throughout. In addition to assisting me in building my leadership qualities, this experience demonstrated to me what can be achieved when perseverance and passion gleefully unite. Though it feels a dream to have won the national round for the second consecutive year, it is a great honour and pride to grab the opportunity to represent UAE, our second home, at the international level.”
The Tournament of Minds is acclaimed for its dynamic educational approach, fostering experimentation and problem-solving among talented pupils in primary and secondary education. Pupils are organised into teams and participate in disciplines such as STEM, The Arts, Language Literature, and Social Sciences. Teams are evaluated on creativity, scientific understanding, technology use, application of STEM principles, design and construction, presentation skills, and overall performance, ensuring a comprehensive assessment. Aligning with international curricula, TOM encourages critical and creative thinking, equipping participants with essential skills for the evolving world.