Madonna School crowned winners of first Inventopia-STEM competition

From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua

‎Madonna School emerged winners of the maiden Inventopia-STEM (I-STEM) competition organised by M-Hub Technologies to promote creativity, innovation and practical problem-solving skills among basic school pupils.

‎‎Pentecost Preparatory School placed second, while Heaven’s Dew Montessori took the third position in the competition, which brought together six schools in Koforidua.

‎‎The participating schools were Madonna School, Trinity Royal School, Presbyterian Calvary Academy, Pentecost Preparatory School, Listen Educational Complex and Heaven’s Dew Montessori.

‎The competition was conducted in four rounds, with the first three focusing on basic questions and answers that tested the pupils’ critical thinking abilities

‎‎The final round required contestants to undertake practical projects by coding or building innovative solutions to address real-life challenges.

‎One of the projects showcased during the competition was a smart motorcycle safety system designed to prevent a motorcycle from starting unless the rider had put on a helmet, an innovation aimed at promoting road safety.

‎Speaking at the event, the Eastern Regional Manager of M-Hub Technologies, Mr Enoch Kekeli, said the competition, dubbed Inventopia-STEM (I-STEM), sought to encourage pupils to think creatively and develop practical solutions to societal problems.

‎He noted that many schools focused heavily on theoretical learning, leaving students with little opportunity to apply their knowledge in practical situations.

‎‎”We want to spark creativity in students. Most schools focus mainly on theory, but we are now in a technology-driven era where students must be able to apply what they learn to solve real-world problems,” he said.

‎Mr Kekeli said exposing children to practical STEM education would help nurture critical thinkers, innovators and problem-solvers capable of developing workable solutions and policies in the future.

‎He stressed that Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education was centred on hands-on learning, creative thinking and innovation rather than memorisation.

‎‎”If we want a brighter future in this technological age, we need to educate our children to embrace STEM so they can build, design and create solutions that work instead of relying only on theory,” he added.

‎He expressed the hope that the competition would inspire more schools to incorporate practical STEM education into their teaching to equip learners with the skills needed for the future workforce.

From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua