QUALITY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

The STEM activities of Quality International School

Quality International School has always been enthusiastic when it comes to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics especially for girl children. The Denis and Lenora Foretia foundation organizes a competition for girls to promote STEM in Cameroon. Quality International School registered three teams for the 2018 STEM competition. All the teams created Android mobile applications as follows:

1)      Hemo, a mobile application that connects blood donors with potential recipients

2)      QIS E-learning, a mobile application that permits people who do not have access to a conventional classroom due to crises or age to study lessons from QIS teachers as from their mobile telephones

3)      V-voice, a digital voting platform that could be used for all types of elections

Two of the three teams were selected to enter the second stage of judging and these were Hemo and QIS E-learning. In order to participate in the second stage of the judging, the girls in the teams had to undergo training by the staff of the Denis and Lenora Foretia foundation. This training involved development of business, marketing and presentation skills and the training was to take place at the Denis and Lenora Foretia foundation for 4 days.

On Tuesday December 4, 2018, the STEM girls left campus for the 4 days camp at the Denis and Lenora Foretia foundation. The camping was to help them better prepare for the final selection of STEM 2018 competition which was scheduled to take place on Saturday the 8th of December at midday. The principal, their technical trainer and two parents accompanied them.

Figure 1: The girls at the training camp at Denis and Lenora Foretia foundation

Saturday the 8th of December marked the final day for STEM competition. The principal, some students and teachers were at Muna Foundation to witness the presentation of the different projects at the competition. The competition started at 12 noon. Among those who were selected for the finals were girls from GBHS Kumbo who presented a method of producing Biogas from kitchen waste, ICT University Yaounde students who presented MediQuick (a mobile app that gives rapid health information) and students from Protestant University who presented a method to produce Petrol from waste plastic.  After the different presentations, QIS E-Learning came 4^th with cash prize of 500.000 FCFA and Hemo came 1^st with a cash prize of 1.500.000FCFA. A cash prize of 100.000FCFA was also given to Nora Tatinyuy Ayuk Akonjang (a team member of QIS E-learning) for being the youngest participant in the STEM competition ever since inception. It was a thing of joy to the girls and the school as people were scrambling to identify with the girls.

Figure 2: The girls with their prizes on the day of finals

Celebrations continued on campus as the manager and the class six pupils welcomed the finalists on Monday 10 December 2018 with their drums in congratulating the finalist for making the school proud. This achievement goes a long way to support our slogan that says, “In QIS, every child is an achiever”.

On 18 January 2019, Continental, a Kenyan based TV channel, led by Mme Penina Karibe came to interview the STEM girls following the creation of the Hemo application and their success in the stem competition 2018.

On 24 January 2019, a journalist from CGTN Africa, Miss Kaze Beatrice came to interview the girls of Hemo and QIS E-learning. She was interested to know what it took teenage girls to build a mobile application and how they managed working on the app and schoolwork.

On 5 March 2019, journalists from BBC World came to school to interview the girls who developed the app.

Figure 3: Interview with BBC world on campus

On 25 March 2019, the Delegate of Secondary Education visited the school for a contact tour. He and his entourage were welcomed by the vice manager, Principal, the vice principal, staff, senior prefects and Miss and masters of QIS at the gate they were also welcomed by the STEM Girls in front of the Principal’s office. They briefly presented their Android mobile Applications (Hemo and QIS E-learning) to the delegate and his team. They immediately moved to the assembly ground where the rest of the student body was lined up waiting for their arrival. The national and school anthems were sung. The delegate appreciated the message of the school anthem especially the part that says, “We will be the change we want to see and good examples of the nation”. He also advised students against drug consumption and encouraged the teachers to put in their best in training the students. After that, they left the assembly ground straight to the Principal’s office were they had refreshments.

Figure 4: Delegate of secondary Education’s visit

April 8, 2019, saw the visit of the journalists from Actu Jeune BCC to interview the girls about the Hemo application.

On April 16, 2019, journalists from TV5 Monde Afrique came to the school campus to interview the girls of the Hemo application.

On April 22, 2019, the journalists from Vision4 TV Yaounde came to interview the girls of the Hemo application concerning its functionality and the development process.

On the 22 May 2019, the students who took part in the development of Hemo attended a meeting at the Ministry of Health. During the meeting, the students were asked to explain the details of the functionality of the application and they were also education of the laws governing applications that deal with blood transfusion.

Figure 5: Visit at the ministry of public health

On 31 May 2019, Journalists from CRTV Douala came to the school campus to interview the girls of Hemo and QIS E-learning concerning the applications.

Figure 6: Interview with CRTV Douala

The girls of the Hemo application attended the launching ceremony of the 2019 STEM prize competition on 28 May 2019.

Figure 7: Group photograph at the STEM Prize 2019 launching

The Hemo application was submitted to the Technovation challenge 2018 and it won the first prize at the Center Regional Pitch event that took place in Yaounde on 25 May 2019.

Figure 8: Victory at the Technovation Challenge 2018

The Hemo application was submitted to the SAGE (Students for Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship) International competition and qualified for the finals, which is to take place in California, United States of America. However, some financial challenges are faced, concerning the travelling that are listed in the table below:

Finally, Quality International School has taken the education of teens in STEM to the next level by starting a Digital Class program that involves training the youngsters in elementary coding/programming using Scratch. The school is also planning to digitize learning in classrooms by providing each student with a computer and video projectors in classrooms to assist teachers.