The project was initiated by the České Budějovice Secondary School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (SPŠSE) Dukelská in České Budějovice with the support of the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant of the ČEZ Group and the South Bohemia Region.
"The idea of the Technical Olympiad was conceived with the aim of discovering technical talent among children leaving primary school and stimulating their interest in studying at technically oriented secondary schools. Of course, also in our country. This year's zero year was a kind of experiment. We are all the more surprised at how many pupils entered the competition and how many made it this far. I'm thrilled with today's entries. The pupils have done an excellent and original job," Jaroslav Koreš, the director of SPŠSE Dukelská, evaluated the course of the final competition.
Fifty ninth grade pupils from all over the South Bohemia Region took part in the competition. Nine of them competed for the highest prize in the premises of the Faculty of Education (PF) in České Budějovice. A check for five thousand crowns and a voucher for a free excursion to the Orlík Hydroelectric Power Plant for the whole class from the ČEZ Group was awarded to Štěpán Mikeš from the Nerudova Elementary School in Jeronýmova Street. Patrik Maroušek from Netolice Elementary School won a check for three thousand crowns from ČEZ for second place. Adam Frcal from Třeboň Primary School won one thousand crowns for his third place.
It is probably no coincidence that all three of them are applying to study at SPŠSE Dukelská. However, the results of the entrance exams are not yet available. "Technology interests me. That's why I'm applying here. I intend to continue in this field and I hope that the next step will be a technical college," Štěpán revealed.
However, the Technical Olympiad most likely has a bright future ahead of it. Not only CEZ as a partner of the school, but also the founder of the "industrial school" in Dukelská Street, the South Bohemian Region, has promised to support its next years. "The South Bohemian Technical Olympiad is a great achievement and a step into the future for our industrial school. And I'm glad that they organized it in such a practical way. Our goal is to develop young talents in mathematics and physics in our South Bohemian secondary and higher education institutions and subsequently retain them for companies operating in the region as well. Eventually, we will be able to educate them to become teachers in technical fields." said Pavel Klíma, Deputy Governor of South Bohemia for Education.
The final task of the Technical Olympiad was to assemble a technical lifting device from uniform materials and tools in two hours that would lift as much load as possible without the help of the pupils' hands. The evaluation jury then judged the weight of the load, the height of the lift, functionality, design, but also the form of presentation or the possibility of alternative solutions to the task.
"The decision-making was very difficult. The winner scored 49 points out of 50 possible. The jury was pleasantly surprised and impressed by the performances of all the contestants. This was due to the execution and the distinctive technical approach and thinking," noted Associate Professor Jiří Tesař, chairman of the jury from the Department of Applied Physics and Technology at the Faculty of Education of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice.
The 420 current students of the České Budějovice SPŠSE Dukelská do not have to worry about their future after graduation. "The employability of our graduates is 100%. Approximately nine out of ten continue their studies at universities. Most of them go to the mechanical and electrical engineering faculties of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, the Czech Technical University in Prague and the Brno University of Technology. The others are immediately picked up by companies," Koreš added.
Presentation of prizes to the winner. From the left: HR manager of NPP Temelín Andrea Barboříková, Dean of the Faculty of Education of JU Helena Koldová and Deputy Governor of South Bohemia Pavel Klíma.
Photo Petr Pokorný
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