BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 15. The final stage of the "Battle of Minds" Olympiad was held at the Heydar Aliyev Center with the participation of 9th to 11th grade students from general education institutions, Trend reports.
The final stage of the Olympiad, a joint project of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Ministry of Science and Education, was dedicated to the 102nd anniversary of National Leader Heydar Aliyev’s birth. This stage was held in a team competition format and consisted of a knowledge contest and a chess tournament.
The event began with a tour of the Heydar Aliyev Center.
Speaking at the official opening of the final stage, Heydar Aliyev Foundation representative Jamil Aliyev noted that education is one of the key priority areas in the foundation’s activities. The foundation places special emphasis on the construction of new school buildings and the thorough renovation of existing schools throughout the country — even in its most remote villages — with the goal of ensuring students receive a quality education.
The event aims to foster not only academic knowledge but also friendship and social skills among students.
Deputy Director of the Institute of Education Fuad Garayev pointed out that the Ministry of Science and Education implements numerous projects to identify and develop talented students, and that this Olympiad is one such initiative. He stated that the main goal of organizing the Olympiad is to develop strategic thinking, decision-making, and leadership skills in the younger generation.
Garayev emphasized that the students participating in the final represent various regions and that this is a competition based on both knowledge and intellect.
He added that the event also serves to promote national and moral values and strengthen the idea of Azerbaijani identity.
The speeches followed with the start of the competitions.
The final stage's knowledge competition featured teams from the Khazar, Nasimi, Yasamal, Khatai, and Narimanov districts of Baku, as well as from the cities of Ganja, Nakhchivan, Mingachevir, and Shaki, and the districts of Absheron, Ismayilli, Lerik, Saatli, Barda, Gazakh, Gusar, Zangilan, and Neftchala.
The chess tournament participants included teams from the Khatai, Khazar, Sabunchu, Sabail, and Yasamal districts of Baku, as well as the cities of Ganja, Nakhchivan, Sumgayit, Sheki, and the districts of Aghjabadi, Aghsu, Beylagan, Jabrayil, Goychay, Guba, Masalli, Neftchala, and Tovuz competed.
A total of 18 teams — comprising 108 students — qualified for the final round of the knowledge competition. In this contest, students answered questions in mathematics, digital technologies, natural and humanitarian sciences, as well as culture and the arts.
For the chess tournament, a total of 18 teams — including one winning team from 12 different regions, five top teams from Baku, and one team from the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic — with 90 participants in total, qualified for the final stage.
The winners will be awarded in the coming days.
The main goal of the Olympiad is to identify talented youth who excel in various fields of knowledge and skills; to develop students' abilities in collaboration, effective communication, leadership, debate culture, decision-making, teamwork, analytical and logical thinking, planning, and strategy-building; to foster a spirit of healthy competition; and to expand communication among youth from different regions.
