Nova Pioneer Secondary students competed in the 2019 AGEC19 challenge. Our students got the opportunity to immerse themselves in the gamified learning platform that was open to all high school students from Grade 8 to Grade 12.

 

Tough Competition

Our students competed against 300 other schools from around South Africa. During five weeks of competition, students were exposed to entrepreneurial development as well as exponential technologies like Blockchain, Digital Biology, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things or 3D printing. Students experienced this through bite-sized chunks of enriched, digitised skills-based learning.

 

Students gain exposure

Within this sphere of  #AGEC19 Novaneers were exposed to habits and concepts pertinent to being an entrepreneur. The challenges were categorised into themes like Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), food security, affordable housing and healthcare. Novaneers engaged in this experience by researching (collecting data, interviews and creating applications) and formulated realistic solutions to these issues. 

Six of our students really demonstrated their #Joy of Learning and exceeded #High Expectations by achieving accolades for their work in the competition. Secondary students Neo Motaung, Siphesihle Dubazana achieved Bronze certificates while Tasmiyya Paruk, Ayanda Sibanda, Sandisiwe Nyoni, and Lesedi Mnguni achieved Gold Awards.

Tasmiyya Paruk has been selected to deliver her ideas in the form of a business pitch. She was selected out of hundreds of submissions. As a community of Novaneers, we celebrate these achievements and couldn’t be prouder of our future entrepreneurial leaders on their successes. 

Grade 11 Nova Pioneer Ormonde student, Lesedi Mnguni (16), was chosen as Allan Gray Entrepreneurship Challenge Top 20 Finalist (AGEC2018).

 

PRESS RELEASE: The Allan Gray Entrepreneurial Challenge (AGEC), organised and facilitated by Mr Anthony Selley, is a competition that encourages learning about entrepreneurship for high school learners in Grades 8 to 12 in South Africa.

The challenge seeks to inspire learners on how to influence change in their community, their country and the world. Learners were required to complete weekly micro-challenges that further exposed them to a variety of entrepreneurial skills, which were then applied to real-world scenarios. 

Lesedi’s mentor and business studies and accounting teacher at Nova Pioneer, Samson Mwaghore, explained how Lesedi and her peers were encouraged to bring and share their creative and innovative ideas in and outside of the classroom.

 

“We invest heavily in the future of our students by offering a real entrepreneurial environment in our classroom experience.”

 

The use of the unique, inquiry-based learning approach that encourages students to ask “why” instead of telling them the “what”, allows them to develop their own thinking through exploration, investigation and collaboration,” he said.

During weeks one to three, learners began their entrepreneurial journey by exploring local challenges and opportunities in the areas of social entrepreneurship, transportation and healthcare. In weeks four to six, the competition shifted focus to global themes of climate change, artificial intelligence and blockchain technology. The final event wrapped-up six weeks of inter-school and inter-pupil participation across the country.

According to Anthony Selley, AGEC’s head of Gameplay, entry participation doubled for the 2018 season, from 4,000 in 2017 to more than 8,000 in 2018. In addition, more than 600 schools across the country participated in this year’s challenge. The challenges are designed to engage participants to act and think like entrepreneurs and rewards those who finish among the top performers.

Lesedi was awarded with AGEC2018 certificate for being a Top 20 finalist. The school is proud of Lesedi and all Novaneer participants for the efforts they put in during the competition.