Anambra school wins bronze in world scientific competition

Aloysius Attah, Onitsha

Few months after six girls from Regina Pacis Secondary School, Onitsha, won gold in the Technovation Challenge in San Fransisco, USA, four boys from another mission school in the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha, have won bronze medal in Tunisia at the African Science and Technology competition (IFES).

The students, Ugwuishi Meshack Ogonna, Chuka-Umeora Anthony, Machi Dominic and Nwachukwu Daniel all of St John’s Science and Technical School, Alor, Onitsha Archdiocese, participated in the Physics aspect of the competition, coming out in the third position out of the 31 countries in Africa that participated.

The students achieved the feat with two devices they called the Adaptable Alternative Power Supply for Sub-Saharan Africa which is a single, fully-packaged solar technology and another noiseless inverter system all locally sourced and produced by them.

Their School Manager, Rev Dr Francis Unegbu, who accompanied them to the competition disclosed that about 251 projects were showcased at the competition from 40 countries across the world.

The event featured a scientific competition in different areas aimed at developing the innovative skills of young scientists and encouraging them to apply their imagination and creativity in solving problems in their environment.

While the boys from St. John’s College, Alor, represented Nigeria in the competition, other students between the ages of 15-24 from countries like Canada, Italy, South Korea, Turkey, China, Sweden, Ukraine, Malaysia, Brazil, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Indonesia, Tunisia and South Africa among others also participated.

Receiving the students fresh from their trip at the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, Onitsha, the Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Rev. Valerian Maduka Okeke, said the gains of returning mission schools to the church in Anambra State had been in multiples.

Represented by the Archdiocesan Chancellor, Rev. Dr. Prudentus, Emeka Aroh, he said the archbishop was very much concerned about the formation of young people which explains the reason he doesn’t spare anything in deploying the best of human and material resources to the mission schools in the archdiocese.