Al-Hadi Institution for Hearing and Visual Impairment and Language and Communication Disorders won the first-place prize in the European finals for the year 2016, in the competition for teaching mathematics through modern means of communication “EURO MATH 2016”, organized by the “THALES Foundation” in cooperation with the European Mathematical Society, the MASEE mathematics organization and the Hellenic Mathematical Society in the city of Thessaloniki and the School of Mathematics of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, within the European Student Conference in Mathematics.
For the second time, the institution's pupils proved their worthiness by winning first place in the final rounds of interactive mathematics teaching, having won this prize for the first time in 2014. This year the institution's pupils competed with delegations from 11 European countries; Lebanon was the only Arab country taking part in this championship, and Al-Hadi Institution was the only special-needs institution taking part in this scientific event.
The competition was assessed in two stages: the first stage was an interview about the project conducted by a European panel composed of academics and educators with the pupils and their teachers. The second stage consisted of theatrical performances before an audience of official figures, ambassadors of European states, university bodies, artists and European media people. The panel of judges praised the pupils' rising performance, which is awaited each year to present a new piece of creativity.
It is worth noting that the European competition for teaching mathematics aims at developing the young generation's capacities in scientific research and enabling them to give lectures at conferences devoted to mathematics, at linking mathematics with real life, and at linking it also with the literary, theatrical and musical arts. This accomplishment is a link in a chain of scientific programmes that Al-Hadi Institution is working to include within its teaching curricula for people with special needs, and it proves that people with special needs are not held back by any obstacle from achieving accomplishments and competing with their peers.
