Every crisis is an opportunity in disguise. In May, education innovation company OWN Academy hosted the “Real World Challenge Outbreak: What’s Next?”, a global online competition where students proposed creative ideas for alternative learning arrangements during the pandemic.
The contest attracted more than 200 submissions from 36 countries. The shortlisted 15 students from Mexico, India, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Nigeria and Myanmar pitched their ideas to a panel of judges. They were judged on innovation, feasibility and presentation.
Special needs
Dishita Bisen, 16, from the Philippines, and Padmaja Krishna Singh, 15, from India, took home the grand prize for Edunation: a platform that helps dyslexic students.
Dishita and Padmaja realised that during the pandemic, dyslexic students may not have proper access to education, and may find it difficult to cope with drastic lifestyle changes.
“This not only affects the education the child receives but also the mental health of the child,” they said. “[Even as] students who do not require learning aids, we are struggling to work online efficiently.”