Misi Jelajah Digital 2023 STEM Competition Urges Students to Think How Technology Can Make the World a Better Place
The Misi Jelajah Digital (MJD) STEM competition, now in its third year, successfully concluded on 13 December 2023 with 850 submissions from students nationwide! The top five finalists, comprising 42 students from 15 schools across Sabah, Johor, Kedah, Perak, Selangor, and Kuala Lumpur, attended the MJD Finale at Menara Maxis to receive their prizes from Tuan Zainal bin Abas, Director of the Educational Technology and Resources Division, Ministry of Education, Malaysia.
This year’s competition tasked students from Year 4 to Form 5 to create animation videos and digital games based on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The air crackled with energy as the finalists enthusiastically presented their ideas on how to address the planet's most pressing issues and explored how to protect its future through their animated videos and games presented to the judges.
SMK Kwang Hua, Selangor, the champion for the Lower Secondary created a game based on SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy Short. They spent more than 100 hours including researching on land and air pollution, relevant laws that protect the environment and conservation as well as worked on more than 500 lines of codes. The game focuses on building an empire that is eco-friendly focusing on energy conservation and a land that is free from pollution. The judges were impressed by their well-researched game, its practicality, and the team's clear passion for environmental sustainability.
For the team SMK Tun Fuad Stephens Kiulu, Sabah, who won the consolation prize for the Upper Secondary category, it was their first time on a plane to Kuala Lumpur. They chose to create their game focusing on SDG 3 - Good Health and Wellbeing based on their experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and how it impacted their learning and daily life at home. Interestingly, most of the team members only learned about coding after participating in the MJD competition.
MJD STEM Challenge wasn't just about winning. It was about igniting a passion for STEM education, fostering teamwork, and empowering students to become the architects of a more sustainable future.
"I learned a lot about animation and coding from this competition! I explored resources on YouTube and studied based on what eKelas has provided. My team prepared in only two days, including practicing for the final presentation. It was a challenging yet rewarding experience." - Amina Arissa, a Year 5 student from SK Intan Perdana, Negeri Sembilan, whose group won First Place in the Animation Video category for Upper Primary level.
“I learned the importance of teamwork and improved my Scratch skills during the competition. I tried using Scratch in primary school, but I did not get to explore much. This competition allowed me to learn more about it. Despite all the challenges in the competition, we managed to make it through.” - Lian Le Shiuan, a Form 4 student from SMK Seri Saujana, Kuala Lumpur, whose group won Third Place in the Game Design Category for Upper Secondary level.
"Overall, we feel that the participants were really good and well-prepared for this finale. Some of the submissions were beyond our expectations, showing significant potential. They have the capability to go even further. We were informed that the participants had quite a limited time frame to produce the games, however, they were able to create something beyond our expectations. Some of their games are workable, with many endings and stages, all produced within the short period given. We’re really impressed!". - Md Faizul Anuar, Manager of K-12, Talent & Capability Digital Enablers Division, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), who was one of the judges of the competition.
