St Andrew’s School Wins 1st Prize As 69 Schools Compete In AI Challenge

The results were announced on Tuesday, December 16, during a prestigious awards ceremony held at the MGI. The competition, aimed at Grade 12 students, saw London College take second place, followed by Mootoocoomaren Sungeelee State Secondary School in third. Queen Elizabeth College and St Joseph’s College rounded out the top five, finishing fourth and fifth respectively.

A nationwide search for digital solutions

The initiative, a collaboration between the State House, Dayforce, DoraCrea, and Mauritius Telecom, was supported by the Ministries of Education and Information Technology.

It was designed to spark interest in emerging technologies and task the younger generation with developing AI-driven solutions to address national challenges.

The scale of the competition was significant, involving:

• 69 secondary institutions from across Mauritius.
• 94 innovative projects submitted for consideration.

Presidential praise for young innovators

In attendance at the ceremony was President Dharam Gokhool, who lauded the participants for their “creativity, imagination, and potential.”

Addressing the students, the President emphasised that the future would be shaped by AI, provided it remains anchored in strong ethical values and human integration.

“Transformation is not limited to boardrooms or policymakers,” the President stated, noting that effective partnerships between the public and private sectors can empower the youth to drive the Mauritian economy forward.

He urged students to continue using their resilience and imagination to build technological solutions for real-world problems across all sectors.

Transforming Mauritius into a digital hub

Vidya Mooneegan, Managing Director of Dayforce, echoed these sentiments, praising the high quality of ideas presented.

He called upon stakeholders to further develop the students’ concepts, suggesting that these young minds have the potential to position Mauritius as a premier digital hub within the region.

The event was attended by a high-profile delegation including Vice-President Robert Hungley, Minister for Social Security Kugan Parapen, DoraCrea Director Vasenden Dorasami, and Mauritius Telecom Chairman Sarat Lallah.

Source: Le Mauricien