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Kota Kinabalu: A total of 35 students and 12 teachers from Keningau Vocational College (KVC) competed with 20 projects at the Sabah Festival of Ideas organised by Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) in collaboration with several organisations at the university, recently.

KVC collectively won four STEM Pioneers Awards in three categories, including the overall champion title, the Permata Kearifan Award in the arts and handicraft category, and the Most Innovative School Award, while collecting a total of 20 medals — 15 gold and five silver.

The awards ceremony was officiated by Deputy Minister of Higher Education Mustapha Sakmud. The event was held at Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

The competition comprised five zonal rounds held in Keningau, Tawau, Sandakan, Kota Marudu and Tuaran for two main categories — Kearifan Lokal and STEMQuest Ignite.

Medal winners from each zone advanced to the state-level competition held during the Sabah Festival of Ideas. KVC competed in the Keningau and Tuaran zones, resulting in all 20 of its projects qualifying for the state-level finals at UMS.

The Eco Mush Block project, developed by Business Management students Batrisya Jeffley and Vivianey Frederic with their advisor Lizah Dullah, won the STEM Pioneers Award in the Green and Sustainable Innovation category (RM200 cash prize) and the Overall STEM Pioneers Award (RM1,000 cash prize).

Their innovation produced fuel made from used mushroom blocks.

The STEM Pioneers Award winner in the Food Security and Healthy Living category was the Bakery and Pastry team comprising students Aishah Humaira, Muhd Fadzrul and Afifah Ridwana, with their advisor Anita Md Yasin.

The team pitched their high-quality bread innovation called Mochia Bread and received RM200.

The STEM Pioneers Award for Community Resilience and Everyday Problem-Solving went to the Automotive Technology team comprising student Dexter Erwinn Darmawan and teacher Freadoline Fook Liew for their Fuel Injector Cleaner innovation, also earning RM200.

With a total of 20 medals, including 15 gold won through innovations from multiple departments such as Construction Technology, Electrical Technology, Culinary Arts, Cosmetology, Automotive Technology, Bakery and Pastry, Business Management and Inclusive Education, KVC received the Special Award for Most Innovative School.

The award was accepted on stage by the students and teachers present, including the college director, Lumang anak Lang.

He expressed immense pride in the students’ and teachers’ achievements, saying the success reflects the strength of vocational education in training students to master technical skills, solve real-world problems and contribute to their communities through innovation.

Meanwhile, Professor Dr Jidon @ Adrian Janaun, director of the UMS Centre for Innovation Management and Commercialization, commended the college for its strong participation with the highest number of entries in the competition and described KVC as a school in its own league.