Eleven public secondary schools in Oyo State have advanced to the prototype development stage of the Distinguished Engr Rotimi Morgan Engineering Innovation Challenge following a design thinking bootcamp organised for participating students.
The bootcamp, held on Wednesday, brought together students from the shortlisted schools for practical sessions on human-centred design thinking, idea generation, prototype development and presentation of innovative solutions.
The participating schools emerged through a competitive application and shortlisting process, marking what the organisers described as the first initiative of its kind in Oyo State.
During the programme, the student teams presented their shortlisted solutions to facilitators and trainers, who guided them through the five-step design thinking process.
The sessions also exposed the students to practical approaches to identifying problems, developing ideas, building prototypes and pitching proposed solutions before judges or a selection panel.
The bootcamp provided an interactive learning environment, with students actively engaging the facilitators through questions and contributions.
The organisers said the programme was designed to equip the participants with the skills and confidence required to translate ideas into practical engineering solutions.
With the bootcamp completed, the 11 teams are expected to proceed to the development of their engineering prototypes ahead of the final stage of the challenge, where their innovations will be presented for assessment.
The organisers expressed excitement over the next phase, saying they looked forward to seeing the solutions the students would develop.
