Young innovators from China and ASEAN tackle real problems at Chongqing STEM event

Chongqing—Students from China and ASEAN countries presented practical solutions to real-world problems at the Awards Ceremony for the First China-ASEAN "Play with Math" STEM Innovation and Practice Student Works Collection, held Oct. 25-28 at Chongqing Bashu Primary School.

The event brought together representatives from the UNESCO International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education (UNESCO INRULED), the SEAMEO Regional Centre for STEM Education (SEAMEO STEM-ED), Thailand’s National Science and Technology Development Agency and Beijing Normal University, as well as consular officials from the Philippines, Myanmar and Vietnam in Chongqing, local government representatives, and participating student teams from China, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Wu Pingwei, Member of the Education Working Committee, Deputy Director of Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, highlighted three priorities for international STEM education cooperation: using curricula to promote mutual learning among young people, sharing quality educational resources across borders through digital tools, and integrating STEM with the humanities to help students develop a global outlook and a sense of responsibility to their country.

The Awards Ceremony for the First China-ASEAN "Play with Math" STEM Innovation and Practice Student Works Collection featured three-minute videos documenting students’ experiments, investigations, model-building and hands-on projects.

Zhou Zuoyu, Director of the UNESCO International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education (UNESCO INRULED) and Vice Chair of the University Council of Beijing Normal University, said the three-minute videos went beyond showcasing students’ learning outcomes, collectively forming a dynamic, cross-border STEM digital resource library. The initiative supports low-cost, replicable STEM learning models and promotes more accessible and inclusive resource sharing.

Zhou also highlighted its role in student participation, teacher capacity-building, cross-cultural exchange and collaborative development. Through the “Online Bashu: Overseas Edition” platform, the initiative aims to benefit more teachers and students along the Belt and Road partner countries.

The submitted projects demonstrated how students used scientific inquiry and engineering to address practical problems. Students from Indonesia explored turning pineapple waste into environmentally friendly cat litter that could support plant growth, while a Thai team developed a mosquito trap inspired by nature. Chinese students presented projects including an intelligent desktop assistant, a warehouse management robot using embodied intelligence, and a model exploring the stability of air-raid shelters.

A Philippine team received the Gold Special Award for Best Engineering for “Project TINDIG: A Low-Cost Posture Correction System Using MediaPipe Pose Estimation and Wireless Haptic Wearables for Classroom Use.”

Yenz Markkus Barcelona Encarnacion, a 15-year-old student from Rosario National High School in the Philippines, worked on the project with his teacher, Wilbert Lareza Jeresano. The team spent five months developing and testing the device, which is designed to help students improve their posture in classrooms.

One of the team’s biggest challenges was figuring out how to implement the system in a larger classroom so more students could benefit. Encarnacion said the video submission gave them an opportunity to share the project with a wider national and international audience.

The award surprised both team members. Jeresano described it as their first international event, saying, “We’re so happy that our project was chosen.” Encarnacion recalled being shocked when his teacher messaged him with the news.

Kessara Amornvuthivorn, Director of the SEAMEO Regional Centre for STEM Education (SEAMEO STEM-ED), said projects of this kind help students develop independent thinking, learn from mistakes and solve real-world problems.

“The most important thing is the learning process,” she noted, adding that STEM education also promotes collaboration across subjects and helps students become active members of their communities.

Amornvuthivorn described the initiative as a promising start to closer China-ASEAN educational ties. When students from different cultural backgrounds meet and work together, she added, they exchange perspectives and build friendships.

On the morning of Oct. 27, the program continued with a Teacher AI Competency Workshop. Teachers discussed ways to strengthen STEM teaching skills, organize and deliver STEM courses, and use artificial intelligence to support student learning, extending the initiative from digital exchanges into classroom practice.

Ma Hong, Party secretary of the Party Committee of Bashu Primary School and Bashu Primary School Group president, said the event followed a cooperation plan signed in 2025 by the school, UNESCO INRULED and SEAMEO STEM-ED.

The “Online Bashu: Overseas Edition” platform enables the school to integrate its "Play with Math" curriculum with STEM education and connect local teaching practices with international approaches.

Bashu Primary School was also the only Chinese basic education institution invited to participate in a China-Thailand youth exchange exhibition, where students introduced the "Play with Math" program in Chinese and English, earning praise from Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand.

Through the "Play with Math" initiative, Bashu Primary School is bringing together digital education resources, STEM curriculum development and exchanges among students and teachers from China and Southeast Asia. The initiative offers a Chongqing example of how international cooperation can support more accessible, collaborative and practice-oriented basic education.