Nisti rewards Independent School students |23 November 2019

A souvenir photograph to mark the occasion (Photo: Louis Toussaint)

Thirty students from the Independent school who took part in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics programme have been awarded certificates.

Thirty-eight students took part in the National Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation’s (Nisti) science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) programme in Independent School, with primary pupils taking part in the hands-on computer training and secondary students in robotics, sensitisation on space science technology.

“Sitting among you are students who have had the opportunity to be involved in programmes conducted by Nisti such as application development, introduction to artificial intelligence and robotics, so I’m delighted that we got the opportunity here today to celebrate what our students have done with this prestigious organisation,” said Xavier Esticot, chief executive of Nisti.

“I would like to thank all students who participated in the programme and yielded amazing results. Science, mathematics and engineering are the most important tools in innovation and without them we would not have the modern world we have today,” added Mr Esticot.

He added that if Nisti is trying to educate students in the country about the benefits of the Stem programme it’s because technology is moving at a fast pace and it is up to the future generation to learn the new skills and knowledge to be part of the fourth Industrial Revolution.

“I look around and I see the future and with the success of this programme at Independent School and other schools on Mahe, the programme is aimed at sensitising children and teenagers about the opportunities that await them once they graduate from school in the field of Stem,” he concluded.

Mery Derjacques, maths and science teacher at the school, noted that the students were very interested in the programme as they learned about things that they were not aware about before.

She added that there are some very exciting and interesting work being done by Nisti in the country and the school is honoured to be a part of that.

Elly Underwood and Steve Li Ah Kane, two sixth grade students who took part in the programme, gave a short testimony about the importance of having a Stem programme.

“One of the main reasons I took part in the programme is to increase my knowledge on the subject as technology affects human lives,” said Underwood.

As for Steve Li Ah Kane, he explained that the Nisti affiliates who conducted the programme were very impressive and he learned a lot.

Christophe Zialor