STEAM gadgets show high school learners’ ability for inventive solutions
The science kids at Wennie du Plessis Secondary in Gobabis won their school a cool N$3000 when they staged the best project in the Bank of Namibia’s STEAM Expo earlier this month. Second place went to Nuuyoma Secondary and third to PK de Villiers Secondary.
STEAM, an acronym denoting Science, Tech, Engineering, Arts and Maths, expands the former concept of STEM, Science, Tech, Engineering and Maths. The STEAM Expo showcased a number of incredibly inventive exhibits, reflecting the learners ability to prepare themselves for an industrialised Namibia.
The expo is another step in the central bank’s continuous promotion of STEAM education, to advance Namibia to a country that thrives on digital empowerment and knowledge. By fostering creativity and readiness for future technological breakthroughs, the bank is an advocate of STEAM education through its Corporate Social Responsibility programme, to close the educational gap in the face of a swiftly changing digital world.
The bank said the expo served as a platform for twenty learners, selected on the creativity of their projects, to display their innovative ideas and share the valuable insights from the STEAM programme, particularly emphasising collaborative problem-solving for community issues.
Learners were tasked to create tech-based solutions for problems faced in Namibia across different industries. Among the various solutions, participants pitched systems for detecting spoilt food, for running solar-powered vehicles, for tracking rhinos, for monitoring air quality, for purifying water, for controlling traffic and for testing soil fertility.
Bank of Namibia Deputy Governor, Ms Leonie Dunn, said “STEAM education is foundational for creating a society that is both digitally proficient and grounded in knowledge. The STEAM Expo not only highlights our students’ successes but also underscores our ongoing commitment to nurturing innovation and excellence in education.”
She encouraged other corporates to participate and support the STEAM initiative to ensure the programme reaches as many students as possible in all fourteen regions. ‘’As Namibia prepares to become an industrialised nation by 2030, it is crucial to capacitate students with skills in robotics, automation, coding, 3D-printing IT electronics as well as machine tooling. These skills are vital aspects of the world’s emerging robotic economies, which can generate significant returns for developing countries like Namibia. These efforts will further assist the country in achieving its goals of ensuring that Namibia becomes a knowledge-based nation.’’
The STEAM Expo has so far exposed more than 240 learners from the Omusati, Omaheke, Oshikoto and Karas regions.
