Winners of the 6th Celik-Biz Competition and the 11th BigStart Competition for primary and secondary students were announced yesterday following an intense final round at Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB).
In the Celik-Biz Competition, Ceradik team from Pengiran Kesuma Negara Bukit Beruang Primary School in the Tutong District took the top spot with their product, Lakastah Membaca, followed by Hydro from Rimba III Primary School in second with manual drip water irrigation systems for seedlings, while Qahfs from Belait Arabic School in third with Kamus Ar-Raqmi.
Meanwhile, in the BigStart Competition, B.I.J.A.Q from Sayyidina Hasan Secondary School took the top spot with their product, Techno Bin, followed by The Arabic Wizards from Ma’had Islam Brunei in second with SPUD, and Chung Hwa Middle School Bandar Seri Begawan in third with SwapSmart.
Lead teacher of the B.I.J.A.Q Norafzlinah binti Haji Anam, expressed her excitement and said, “It’s like a dream come true. We didn’t expect to win. This was our second participation in the competition, and last year we didn’t win.”
Reflecting on the journey, she said, “We have been training since June. It wasn’t easy, especially meeting the project deadline. However, the experience was invaluable for all 15 students involved.”
Deputy Permanent Secretary (Core Education) at the MoE Aliuddin bin Haji Abdul Rahman was the guest of honour.
The competitions, jointly organised by the Entrepreneurship Innovation Centre (EIC) of the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA), aim to enhance the students’ creativity, critical thinking and innovative approaches in entrepreneurial project planning.
They also focus on improving environmental aspects, in line with this year’s sub-theme.
The competitions sought to equip students with life skills that promote independence, proactiveness and competitiveness, in alignment with 21st-Century educational demands, and among them are: collaboration, critical thinking, character, communication, creativity and citizenship.
The Celik-Biz Competition is open to primary school students, fosters entrepreneurship and innovation among them.
BigStart is open to secondary students. BigStart contestants are required to develop creative prototypes, portfolios and videos based on four sub-themes: innovation, edutainment, digitalisation, and Industrial Revolution 4.0, as well as Business Model Canvases. – James Kon
