How combining theory and practical bit boosts innovation

During a recent Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) expo, Sinhgad Technical Education Society of Rwanda (STES) exhibited a number of innovative projects that helped it beat other private TVET institutions to the number one spot. When the Education Timesvisited the School premises in Kicukiro, Kigali, recently, a group of boys and girls sat in a classroom designed like a workshop. As the lecturer illustrated electrical circuits on the black board, the students assembled the devices on their table. At the end of the lesson, a new project, in the design of electronics, is ready. It is this model of project-based learning that is responsible for the high level of innovation at the school. “When you adopt this model of project based learning, you are able to combine the theory taught in class and practical which simplifies the students’ efforts to develop new technologies,” says Dr Harshad Gelada, a tutor at STES, Rwanda. According to Gelada, more than 20 projects that were exhibited by more than 30 students at the expo were initiatives of the students. “If you look at the projects, most of them focus on providing solutions for the future. Even when learning, we have to think and plan for development through the use of technology,” he adds. Also students from the school testify that in scientific related fields, the model of combining theory lessons directly with practical work could provide solutions even for the job market that currently demands for job creators. And most of the creativity is exhibited through the different projects. Ariane Umuringa with her solar and wind hybrid green tower. Students presenting their projects Ariane Umuringa, a second year student of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering at Sinhgad, developed a Hybrid Green Tower & Solar bag. The tower taps energy from both wind and the sun while the bag serves as a mobile cell phone charger which uses solar energy from the sun. With the setup, energy produced by the revolving windmills as well as the solar panels is stored in batteries. “The windmill and the solar panel are attached to the battery on one end. The energy produced led into the battery via a battery controller,” Umuringa explains. The innovation also has a solar tracking system whereby the panel is not fixed but keeps moving with the direction of the sun depending on the orientation. “The direction of the sun in the morning is different from afternoon or evening. We have embedded codes through a programming system which enables rotation of the panels to capture as much as possible without being much affected by the position of the light source,” she adds. For 20-year-old Alice Mukashyaka, the dream was to make voting very simple for ordinary people, especially those living with disability. “The electronic voting machine does not require a finger print. It has liquid electronic display, led indicators and a screen to show the processes. When voting, the device is set in the voting mode,” Mukashyaka explains. She adds that different candidates on a voting list are represented by different indicators and through a circuit connected to a power supply, all votes are tallied. Dr Harshad Gelada conducts a class at STES in Kicukiro recently. “When tallying, you just set it in the vote count mode and since voting is done via a switch press, the counting is automatic” she adds. Umutoni Natasha, 19, and Claudine Ngabire, 21, made a water fountain which follows the rhythm of music. The setup is programmed in such a way that water from the pump comes down the fountain and moves with the rhythm of the music. According to Umutoni and Ngabire, this water fountain can be installed in recreation centres. Aimable Mwumvaneza and Emmanuel Rukundo constructed a project that can resolve the settlement around the Nyamirambo riverbank. This project can be utilised by Kigali city authorities for distributing settlements, agricultural sites and busy streets, which are designed with less occurrence of traffic. Despite all these projects being displayed during the TVET expo, the routine of classroom activities at STES Rwanda is the foundation and clearly elucidates the importance of practical learning that is based on innovation rather than theory.