Maxis eKelas’ annual STEM challenge, Misi Jelajah Digital 2023 (MJD), successfully concluded recently with a record total of 850 entries from 89 schools nationwide.
The competition which ran from August to December last year challenged students to design games or produce animated videos anchored on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Students in groups of 2 to 4 were divided into Upper Primary, Lower Secondary, and Upper Secondary categories, and submitted their entries via the Maxis eKelas portal.
Held at Menara Maxis, the MJD finale was attended by the top 5 finalists from each category, comprising students and teachers from 15 schools across Sabah, Johor, Kedah, Perak, Selangor, and Kuala Lumpur.
Each finalist took the stage to present their animated videos and game designs to a panel of judges.
Pole position winners were students from SK Intan Perdana, Negeri Sembilan (Upper Primary category), SMK Kwang Hua, Selangor (Lower Secondary category), and SMK Air Merah, Kedah (Upper Secondary category).
Tuan Zainal Bin Abas, Director of Educational Resources And Technology Division, Ministry of Education and Mariam Bevi Batcha, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Maxis presented prizes to the 15 winning groups.
“STEM subjects are vital in fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills among students and the Ministry remains committed to empowering STEM and digital education. I hope that all participants have gained valuable benefits from their involvement. Congratulations to all the winners!” said Tuan Zainal bin Abas.
“Our aim for MJD was to provide an opportunity for students to develop a solid foundation in STEM, and we are thrilled with the positive response to this year’s competition. The students’ creations were both creative and innovative, and applied knowledge gained in the classroom to address real-world challenges,” said Mariam Bevi Batcha.
The first-place winner in the Upper Primary category, Amina Arissa from SK Intan Perdana, Negeri Sembilan, shared her excitement: “I learned a lot about animation and coding from this competition. I explored resources on YouTube and studied based on what eKelas has provided. It was a challenging yet rewarding experience.”
Luthfiyyah Iqmar, from SK Saujana Utama, Selangor, the second-place winner in the Upper Primary category expressed that: “While preparing for the presentation, we worked together on script writing, animation, and timing. We gained more skills through participating in this competition.”
With over 99,000 registered users and growing, Maxis eKelas is an after-school digital learning initiative for students from Year 4 to Form 5. Offering a dynamic and vibrant content approach, it provides access to quality education content aligned with the Malaysian school syllabus, focusing on Science, Mathematics, English, Bahasa Melayu and History as well as digital and soft skills topics.
Apart from STEM competitions, eKelas also organises annual storytelling competitions and offers student grants.
For more information or to register for eKelas, please visit www.ekelas.com.my or download the eKelas mobile app from App Store or Google Play. Malaysian students from primary to secondary schools, teachers, and education leaders can also sign into eKelas with their DELIMa ID.
