Story by Farai Gwaze
ENTRIES for prospective participants in the Zimbabwe Science Fair have opened ahead of the exhibition set for February next year.
Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) have been adopted in Zimbabwe as basic building blocks to the implementation of the Education 5.0 model.
In this context, organisers of the Zimbabwe Science Fair have set the ball rolling for the exhibition which will run from the 21st to the 24th of February next year.
The Founder and Director Zimbabwe Science Fair, Mr Knowledge Chikundi said, “The Zimbabwe Science Fair is the most prestigious science competition for young scientists, inventors, and innovators in primary in high schools in Zimbabwe. Our science fair is affiliated with the biggest science competition in the world called International Science and Engineering Fair. So, when students enter their projects, we then select the top projects for awards in the form of scholarships, awards, internships and international trips.”
2022 Zimbabwe Science Fair champion and second runner-up at the global science fair, Memory Bvungo has encouraged youths to embrace STEM.
“I started competing in science fairs from primary school and learnt about the Zimbabwe Science Fair where I started competing and then went on to compete on the international stage. My first project was a diaper cleaning machine as I saw the problem in my community. It was showcased in Botswana where there were other African countries and I represented Zimbabwe, and I just started competing from then on. My advice to young Zimbabweans wanting to take the science fair route is that a great project comes from something you are attached to, from your surroundings. For me, it was something I saw in my neighbourhood.”
Each year, the Zimbabwe Science Fair attracts hundreds of the most promising young scientists and engineers in Zimbabwean schools to exhibit their ideas and innovations meant to solve society’s most urgent challenges.
Outstanding participants at the 2024 Zimbabwe Science Fair will win tickets to fly the national flag high at the International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles, USA set for later next year.
