Science and Technology Contest: A useful playground for high school students

In recent years, the movement of scientific and technical research and creation in schools has been focused on launching, implementing by the provincial education sector, among them is the Science and Technology Contest for high school students, thereby creating a playground for students to research science, create engineering and technology…

The province currently has 73 primary and secondary schools; 140 secondary schools; 26 high schools and 11 middle and high schools with over 75,000 students. In the past years, in addition to the annual contest for excellent students at all levels, the Department of Education and Training has always paid attention and guided schools, divisions of Education and Training to well organized a science and technology contest for secondary and high school students with the goal of encouraging students to creatively apply their learned knowledge to solve life problems. Based on the sector’s guidance, schools at these two levels have all propagated and launched the contest to students, in the past 5 years, over 90% of schools, divisions of Education and Training has organized grassroots level contests, with hundreds of products and projects to be contested as a basis for units to select products to compete in provincial competitions.

Students of Vinh Trai Secondary School (Lang Son city) with the topic of improving their understanding of cultural history… at the city-level science and technology contest

According to the report of the Department of Education and Training, from the 2017-2018 school year to now, each year, there are 500 to 600 students’ products and projects compete at the grassroots level. As for the provincial competition, the number of products submitted in the past 5 years has increased in number. If from the 2013-2014 school year to the 2016-2017 school year, the whole sector recorded an average of 30-50 projects and products of science and technology of students participated in the provincial contest. Then from the 2018 – 2019 school year to present, every year, more than 120 products and projects of students participate in the contest. Product quality is also guaranteed with the topics and projects participated in the contest are associated with real life, suitable for research conditions in the school.

Student Dang Thi Ngoc Anh, class 11A2, Vu Le High School, Bac Son district said: During my study at the school, I heard from my teachers about the science and technology contest, I found it very interesting, it gave us the opportunity to apply the knowledge we have learned to create useful products. Therefore, at the beginning of the school year 2022 – 2023, under the guidance of teachers, our group came up with an idea and organized “Research on the process of producing alcohol wine and alcohol from bananas”, the purpose is to produce high quality banana wine, low in toxins and alcohol for medical and other purposes. After successful application, the project was selected by the school to participate in the provincial science and technology contest and won 3rd prize.

Recorded at the provincial science and technology contest for high school students in the school year 2022 – 2023, the contest organizers received 123 projects from 46 middle schools and high schools across the province, competing in 3 groups of areas including: Recorded at the provincial science and technology contest for high school students in the school year of 2022 – 2023, the contest organizers received 123 projects from 46 middle schools and high schools across the province, compete in 3 groups of areas including: Behavioral Social Sciences, Biochemistry, Engineering Physics. At the contest, there are students who have participated many times but there are also students who have only participated for the first time. What they have in common are their passion and creative ideas; Most of the students were confident in the process of presenting and answering relevant questions posed by the judges. This is also a proof that the students have mastered the knowledge and proficiently implemented the science and technology research process. At the end of the competition, there were 82 projects of students won prizes.

Mr. Dang Hong Cuong, Head of Secondary Education Division, Department of Education and Training said: Science and technology contest is organized to help students have the opportunity to apply the knowledge they have learned to solve practical problems, open up many opportunities for talent development for secondary high school students in the whole province, contribute to the effective implementation of the 2018 general education program. Therefore, at the beginning of each school year, the division prepares plans, consults with the department’s leaders to implement and guide affiliated units, and the Departments of Education and Training to propagate about the contest. At the same time, the division guides the units on how to conduct research and create science and technology in accordance with the actual conditions of each school and the group of students involved.

Being held annually, the Science and Technology contest for secondary and high school students launched by the Department of Education and Training every year has become an extremely useful playground, an opportunity for students to show their passion for science research; it is also a place to exchange and learn experiences for research… In the coming time, the Department of Education and Training will continue to propagate and disseminate the contest to schools, contribute to spreading the contest to a large number of participating students.