The first edition of the national school innovation award ended this Saturday. The closing of this first edition is marked by the awarding of prizes to three winners from the three levels in the presence of the Minister of National Education, Mohamed Seghir Sadaoui.
742 projects at the national level This first edition saw a remarkable participation with 742 projects at the national level, divided into 132 projects for the primary level, 382 for the middle level, and 228 for the secondary level. The selection process was first carried out at the local level by wilaya commissions, which selected three projects based on a unified evaluation grid. The selected projects were then examined by a national commission, responsible for designating the three final winners, one for each level of education.
In the primary level, the first place went to student Zaga Mohamed Islam from the wilaya of Ouargla, for designing an intelligent wheelchair aimed at improving mobility and autonomy for people with specific needs. In the middle level, the first prize was awarded to student Miziani Sif Eddine for a project involving an intelligent artificial hand, based on capturing muscle signals. The device translates the electrical signals emitted by the muscles into mechanical commands, allowing for the operation of the prosthesis. In the secondary level, the first place was awarded to a collective project by students from the wilaya of Biskra, namely Zakaria Abdel Daim, Ahmed Khelifi, Retaj Liane Djellab, Fatma Hemrat, and Chada Boubeker, focused on designing a single-arm robot inspired by industrial robotic systems but adapted for educational and assistance purposes.
Promotion of skills The creators explain that their project aims to support people with disabilities in certain daily tasks, especially writing and object manipulation, with a view to improvement and future development.
Speaking at the closing ceremony held at the Abdelhafid Ihaddaden Scientific and Technological Center in Sidi Abdallah (Algiers) under the theme of innovation in robotics, the minister indicates that this edition marks the launch of a new dynamic aiming to “encourage initiative, scientific curiosity, and the ability of students to propose concrete solutions to contemporary challenges”. According to him, this competition goes beyond a simple competition between schools to become a real space for showcasing emerging talents and promoting skills.
Training generations capable of adapting to technological changes Sadaoui also emphasizes the Sector’s ambition to train generations capable of adapting to technological changes and actively contributing to a society based on knowledge and innovation. The minister commends the “remarkable” work of the national commission on this occasion.
The commission is composed of robotics experts from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the National Institute for Educational Research, as well as specialized inspectors in computer science, mathematics, and electrical engineering. He also pays tribute to the efforts of the educational and administrative teams involved in guiding the students.
Expansion of scientific clubs Regarding the quality of the projects presented, the minister stated that the participants’ achievements demonstrate a genuine capacity for innovation, analysis, and proposal. “The digitization of the education sector and the promotion of innovation are two essential tools for building a modern and efficient school,” reaffirms the minister. In continuation of this dynamic, Sadaoui emphasizes the need to firmly anchor the culture of innovation within schools, making this competition an annual event aimed at consolidating and evolving.
Highlighting the rise of scientific clubs, as well as robotics and artificial intelligence clubs, the minister points out that “the Sector currently has 12,574 scientific clubs, 95 robotics clubs, and 99 clubs dedicated to artificial intelligence.” An ascending trend that, concludes the minister, “reflects the growing interest of students in science and technology-related disciplines.”
Samira Azzegag
