Mbilwi wins local edition of Solve for Tomorrow contest
With Samsung helping them with resources and mentors guiding them, they had to conduct research and develop prototypes.
LIMPOPO – Samsung South Africa has announced Mbilwi Secondary School as the winner of the local edition of its Solve for Tomorrow digital skills development competition. The school received a cash prize of R100 000.
The hackathon-style initiative is designed to increase interest and proficiency in science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) education.
The cash prizes will go towards equipment for each winning school, according to their needs, the company stated in a press release.
“We are proud to see this group of young people applying their minds to learn and solve some of their communities’ problems, and we hope such programmes spark the revolution for positive and sustainable change within communities,” said Hlubi Shivanda, Samsung director for business innovation group and corporate affairs.
Announced in March, this year’s competition was facilitated in partnership with the State Information Technology Agency (Sita), and targets Gr 10 and 11 learners from underserved communities, giving them an opportunity to gain tech skills, while solving some of the challenges within their communities through Stem.
Sita head of corporate affairs Tlali Tlali commented: “This is the type of public-private partnership that, when implemented effectively, can bring about extensive, positive and meaningful change in the country. The youth hold the key to the future and investing in them through such initiatives is a no-brainer. We are proud to partner with a like-minded organisation such as Samsung in this effort to empower the youth and help shape the South Africa of tomorrow, while also giving a voice to those who were voiceless before.”
According to Samsung, Solve for Tomorrow reached over 1.5 million contestants in more than 30 countries around the world by 2020. The local contest kicked-off with 51 pre-selected schools nationally.
Participating 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.
The winning prototype, as created by the learners from Mbilwi, is a solution to fill potholes in their town’s roads using recyclable and sustainable materials that include discarded 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, team member and Gr 11 learner.
“We are happy that the competition allowed us to do something good for the environment, and hopefully, it will spark even more interest in others to work on making the environment better for all.”
Thulamela Mayor, Athongozwidivha Sarah Rambuda who visited the school on October 4 congratulated Mbilwi learners saying they are proud as the local municipality.
