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EDWIN NAIDU
Acclaimed maths and science place of learning, Mbilwi Secondary School from Venda, Limpopo, won the Solve for Tomorrow school competition at the Birchwood Conference Centre in Johannesburg with an idea that speaks to genuine need in their community.
The victorious spark from learners is an ambitious plan to fix potholes in their town’s roads using recyclable and sustainable materials – addressing both a societal need and fulfilling their green credentials towards a better planet.
The school, which has had a 100% pass rate for its matric students since 1994, has urged learners to continue to lead the way with distinction.
Teacher Tshifhiwa Tshidzumba said winning the competition will help keep the school’s name on the map.
“We are one of the top schools in the region and have made a habit out of winning, and we are happy to keep it that way. Winning such contests reinforces our status as a great school with a highly competitive edge. We are proud of our learners and their achievements because we don’t enter competitions to add the numbers; we enter to win. When we compete, regardless of the contest or the opponents, we always want to be number one,” said Tshidzumba,
The contest for Grade 10 and 11 learners from underserved communities was announced on 4 October. Learners were encouraged to solve some of the challenges within their communities using Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).
Former pupils from Mbilwi Secondary School include the Minister of Small Business Development, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, and top academic Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector of the United Nations University. The school received a prize of R100,000.
Maphuthaditshaba Secondary from Acornhoek in Mpumalanga came second and won R50,000, and third-placed Umlazi Comprehensive Tech from KwaZulu-Natal won R30,000.
The money will be used for STEM equipment for each school, according to their unique needs. Samsung sweetened the deal by rewarding each learner in the top three teams with a Samsung device.
The schools had to identify problems in their communities that they could solve using STEM. With Samsung helping them with resources and mentors guiding them, they had to conduct research and develop prototypes for their identified challenges.
The winning prototype from Mbilwi is an ambitious plan to fix potholes in their town’s roads using recyclable and sustainable materials, including discarded plastic bottles they collected.
“This project has been a huge part of our lives in the past year, so winning it means a lot to us,” said Igoline Coelho, a Grade 11 learner and member of the team. “We have worked hard as a team as we met every day to put in the work needed to get us over the line and victoriously, so winning is awesome. This win will also encourage other learners in our school to participate in such competitions. We are happy that the competition allowed us to do something good for the environment. Hopefully, it will spark even more interest in others to work on making the environment better for all,” Coelho said.
Leading technology giant Samsung South Africa ran the competition with the State Information Technology Agency (SITA).
Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Pinky Kekana, said in line with efforts to improve the education system, the Department of Basic Education highlighted the importance of increasing the number of schools that focus on critical learning areas such as science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and the arts.
“The skills acquired by the educators and the learners will benefit them beyond this competition,” Kekana said. “We look forward to seeing the inclusion of more schools from underserved communities in South Africa. We are optimistic that some of the solutions from this competition will eventually be implemented, thus putting South Africa on the map, with accompanying job opportunities for the youth.”
Solve for Tomorrow is Samsung’s ambitious effort to increase interest and proficiency in STEM and help the country contribute to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The competition encourages innovative thinking, creative problem-solving, and teamwork among the learners as they grow and learn important skills that could benefit them greatly in their future careers.
Hlubi Shivanda, Samsung’s Director for Business Innovation Group and Corporate Affairs, said Solve for Tomorrow strives to help equip the youth with various technological, artisanal, and electronic skills. “We are proud to see this group of young people applying their minds to learn and help solve some of their communities’ problems and hope such programmes spark the revolution for positive and sustainable change within communities,” she said.
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