InnovEd 2018, the flagship initiative of the National Productivity and Competitiveness Council (NPCC) that aims at inculcating a culture of innovation among young students, culminated with an award ceremony on Monday 11 June at the Octave Wiéhé Auditorium, Réduit.
The current edition of InnovEd, which was launched in February this year, saw the participation of some 44 secondary institutions and Mauritius Institute of Training and Development (MITD) centres. These institutions were represented by more than 450 students spread across a total of 72 teams.
InnovEd 2018 focused on the theory of Multiple Intelligences and attracted participation from students in six distinct categories namely Interactive Media, Cultural Heritage, Language and Publishing, Design, Visual Arts and Performing Arts.
InnovEd 2018 showcased an array of online learning materials on creativity as well as innovation that included puzzles, games, quizzes, lesson plans and self-assessments that were aimed at both students and teachers. Another innovation in the 2018 edition included the ability for students to access these learning materials through mobile devices.
The main highlight of the event was the workshop on the theme “Achieving Success in Education Through Innovation” hosted by Mr. Jake Mendelssohn from the Connecticut Invention Convention, USA. Mr. Mendelssohn, who led the workshop on Monday morning just before the Award Ceremony, gave an insight about the relentless evolution in the area of robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI). He motivated the students to work on their ideas and put them into shape.
According to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NPCC, Mr. Deepak Balgobin, AI will have a big impact on jobs and we need to respond promptly to the constant evolutions around us. “The world is changing and this change is extremely dramatic and very fast. In fact, when we talk about the world of tomorrow, we are not talking about some time in the far future. We are literally talking about the very next day. In reality, today is the first day of the future,” Mr. Balgobin pointed out in his speech at the award ceremony.
He also made direct references to global figures such as Apple founder, late Steve Jobs and Ford Motor Company’s founder, late Henry Ford who changed the face of their respective industries through their innovative approaches.
“Remember that no country is innovative by nature and no economic region has become innovative by pumping resources into them. They can only be created, designed and redesigned. The NPCC is indeed committed to fuel this creativity and innovative engine,” Mr.
Balgobin said.
The Minister of Financial Services and Good Governance, Hon Dharmendar Sesungkur, who was the chief guest of the event, stressed on the importance of innovative projects to drive the country to the next level of socioeconomic development. “We all know that employers are no longer looking for academic successes but rather they are on the lookout for softer skills. Projects such as InnovEd will nurture and develop these soft skills within you so that you become the all-rounder that employers are head hunting. The
critical thinking, the problem solving and communication skills you have developed during your projects are important foundation skills to help you become successful, productive employees,” he told the students present at the award ceremony.