Grootfontein learner turns maths fear into fun…innovation earned him N$440 000
A 13-year-old Namibian student, Soini Shoonga, has developed a solar-powered mathematics quiz game to help peers overcome their fear of math. His innovation earned him a national award and he is now working on an AI-powered application for long division.
Why it matters
It showcases youth innovation in education and the potential for low-cost, recycled technology to solve learning challenges.
A 13-year-old Grade 7 learner at Makalani Primary School in Grootfontein, Otjozondjupa region, Soini Shoonga, has emerged as a young innovator after developing an interactive, solar-powered mathematics quiz game designed to make learning fun and less intimidating.
Shoonga, who is currently living with his aunt and cousins while his parents are in Oshakati, won the Best Innovation Project award, earning N$20 000. Using recycled materials, he developed an award-winning educational tool and is now working on an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered application to help fellow Namibian learners struggling with mathematics,
particularly long division. Shoonga said his journey did not begin in a high-tech laboratory, but in the classroom, where he watched his classmates freeze and struggle whenever mathematical notation appeared on the board.
“I saw my friends were struggling, and I wanted to make maths something we can touch and play with and not just something we can fear,” he said.
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