Tinta Primary Team clinches Silver at RBTX

“Eco-Wudhu” Innovation project wows judges

SHAH ALAM: On the weekend of 25th – 26th October, a small team of four Tinta primary students led by STEM teacher Ustaz Amirul, won a silver placing and RM1,500 for their project titled ‘Eco-Wudhu’ at the Petrosains RBTX national competition.

Their project, submitted under the “Innovation – Junior’ category, aimed to show how water used for ablution, or “wudhu”, as well as harvested rainwater, can be saved and recycled for other purposes.

The prototype was the brainchild of Ustaz Amirul, and further developed by his team consisting of Year 5 and 6 students, Al-Farudeen Mohd Apsal (6 Researcher), Muhammad Uwais Aryan (6 Pioneer), Rania Fitriyah Mohd Fahmi (5 Leader) and Zulfah Insyirah Mohamad Nordin (5 Developer), under the supervision of STEM teachers Teacher Nabihah and Teacher Amirah.

Together they examined how used wudhu water from a mosque could be used for cooling the roof of the mosque as well as watering the gardens around the mosque. This in turn helps the mosque be more environmentally sustainable and also saves funds on its water and electricity bills.

The project was initiated in July 2023 and the team stayed back daily after school to research and develop the prototype, which was finally unveiled to RBTX judges in October.

The Tinta Times interviewed Ustaz Amirul and the team members, who shared their thoughts regarding the event and their experience preparing for it.

“Alhamdullilah, I am so proud of the success they achieved; however what I am most proud of was the effort and spirit showed by my team to develop and exhibit their very best for this project,”, Ustaz said, clearly moved by his team’s dedication and commitment.

“I felt really happy and shocked”, Al-Farudeen said, upon winning the silver prize. Zulfah added, “I feel okay, also happy at the same time”.

On their experience preparing the prototype, Uwais quipped with a laugh that it was “Great, even when Alfa and Rania accidentally dropped the project” before adding, “Teamwork is important.”

Rania described the process as “… challenging, but we made it in the end. I think I gained (a lot) and improved my presentation skills.”

Given the opportunity, the team is excited to develop more such innovations in the future, with Al-Farudeen declaring, “I would try something new, including a competition that’s even more challenging.”

Ustaz Amirul had this advice for Tinta students who want to take up the challenge to participate in future RBTX (and other) competitions:

“Students need to learn to be independent in managing their tasks, formulating their ideas and in making decisions. Students must also have a high level of confidence in the project they are developing.

For RBTX specifically, students must demonstrate good performance in subjects like STEM, Computer Science and RBT. Prepare yourself mentally to learn new things and develop physical and mental resilience for the journey ahead. I strongly encourage students with any ideas or proposals to approach me any time! “

The Tinta Times wishes our young Tintarians all the best in their future expeditions, and is confident they will continue to make Sekolah Tinta proud!