Edwin Naidu
Reigning champions Mbilwi Secondary School in Limpopo, which produced some of the country’s most eminent academics, is among the 20 finalists for the Samsung and the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) 2024 Solve For Tomorrow Competition.
Aiming to bring out the best in public schools and learners, the competition has attracted many entries from schools across the country. The top 20 schools are now confirmed.
No surprises that Mbilwi, renowned for producing learners excelling in maths, has made the cut once more. The school’s past students include Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, the former University of Johannesburg vice-chancellor now working with the United Nations University in Japan.
Engineer and inventor Professor Mulalo Doyoyo, the former head boy, was another person who put the school on the map. He passed away suddenly on 14 March 2024.
Mbili is recognised as one of the country’s top-performing public schools.
According to Hlubi Shivanda, Samsung’s Director for Business Operations, Innovation, and Corporate Affairs, this critical stage of the contest is a good indicator of the country’s future. The finalists are learning how to solve problems in their communities.
This is an opportunity for these schools to showcase their innovation and creativity in solving real-world problems.
Samsung, which inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative technologies, such as the latest S24 models boasting Artificial Intelligence, decided to heed a presidential call to launch this contest for schools and learners.
In this year’s State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa noted that the power of collaboration in overcoming challenges can lead to significant achievements.
South Africa has made progress in the last three decades thanks to the spirit of partnership. The Solve For Tomorrow competition is a testament to the impact of public-private partnerships, and when these sectors come together, remarkable results can be attained.
Launched in Africa in 2023, this unique competition provides an opportunity for Grade 10 and 11 learners from public schools in underserved communities to apply Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) education to address the challenges faced by their respective communities while fostering creative thinking, problem-solving skills, and teamwork among learners. Its goal is to nurture socially innovative ideas, specifically focusing on environmental challenges.
Lenhle Khoza, B-BBEE and Transformation Manager at Samsung, said: “As a global electronics giant that has, in the past 30 years, consistently supported the country’s transformation agenda, we are aware of the great importance of education through technology. This global Solve For Tomorrow initiative, which uses STEM as the critical component of empowerment, is helping us, together with our valued partners, to continue our quest of equipping young people from local public schools with critical skills and knowledge that they will need to build not only a better local economy but also the world at large.”
Since its inception last year, the competition has helped learners grow and develop invaluable skills for success in the present and future. In conjunction with the State Information Technology Agency, 51 pre-selected schools were piloted nationally. This competition is an excellent way for learners to understand STEM better and display their scientific talents.
According to Tlali Tlali, the Head of Corporate Affairs at SITA: “We understand the importance of collaborations and are very excited about the prospects of our continued partnership with Samsung. As SITA, we remain committed to leveraging IT to support the delivery of e-Government services to all citizens, and we are always keen to be part of impactful programmes such as the Solve For Tomorrow competition that allow us to effect positive change in both our youth and communities at large.”
The programme is designed to proceed through a phased approach. In the entry phase, schools nationwide are encouraged to participate in the competition. In phase one, the preliminary stage of the competition, the Top 20 schools with the best entries for 2024 are announced, and they will proceed to the next phase. These schools will have the opportunity to address an environmental challenge and develop concrete innovations to assist in the betterment of society. They will be supported by assigned Samsung employee mentors throughout the process.
In the programme’s second phase, Samsung will provide resources to the learners while mentors guide them. During this phase, the learners must research, develop, and submit their paper prototypes for the challenges identified in the preliminary phase.
To support the teams from the Top 20 schools for 2024, they will attend Design Thinking workshops in their respective regions. Additionally, the selected schools’ teams will be sponsored with a Samsung tablet and data to assist them in research and communication with their mentors. This is a critical stage of the programme, and with Samsung’s support, the learners will have the resources they need to succeed.
The Design Thinking workshops aim to teach learners valuable skills for approaching their work, thinking critically, and acting like designers. They will provide a cognitive and structured process for human-centred, creative problem-solving and encourage learners to build strong teams. Additionally, learners will learn how to research and develop workable solutions to address environmental issues in their communities.
The Top 20 Finalists will be required to submit paper prototypes of their solutions, which judges will evaluate to determine the Top 10 schools that will proceed to the next phase. The Top 10 teams will receive funding to develop physical prototypes of their solutions and present them to a panel of judges in the final stage of the competition.
The Top Three schools with the winning prototypes will win prizes of up to R100,000 each, which will go towards STEM equipment based on the unique needs of each school. Additionally, Samsung has decided to reward each learner in the Top three teams from schools with a Samsung device.
The ultimate goal is to emulate Mbilwi Secondary School, the 2023 winner – but whoever wins, communities and South Africa stand to benefit from innovative solutions.
INSIDE EDUCATION
