Siddique Public School student Abdul Raffay Paracha emerged as the champion to secure the Gold Medal in the 35th International Biology Olympiad (IBO) in the Philippines during July 20-27, 2025.

The Pakistani team was there under the STEM Careers Programme, a collaborative programme of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS).

The team was spearheaded by Dr Asma Imran and Dr Asma Rehman from the National Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), an integral part of PIEAS and included in the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC).

Other team members included Ms Ayyan Aslam from Government College University, Lahore, who was awarded Honorable Mention, with Ms Sadia Zulfiqar from Siddique Public School, Rawalpindi, and Arooj Fatima from Fusion College, Shakargarh, Narowal.

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PIEAS, under the PAEC, conducts the National Science Talent Contest (NSTC) each year in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics. The NSTC is a development of the National Physics Talent Contest, which started in 1995 and was regularly conducted since 2003.

Pakistan began its participation in the International Physics Olympiad in 2001, the International Mathematics Olympiad in 2005, and the Biology and Chemistry Olympiads in 2006.

To date, more than 380 Pakistani students have participated on behalf of the country in these global events, collecting 140 medals, and over 4,500 students have been trained at 240+ STEM training camps organized at HEC-approved institutions in Pakistan.