Kuala lumpur: Hari Inovasi Kebangsaan @ Melaka 2026 (HIK@M2026) has expanded participation opportunities to students under the Special Education Integrated Programme (PPKI) for the first time, providing a more inclusive platform to highlight their talents and creativity.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, PPKI teacher from Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Paya Rumput, E. Komathi, said the opportunity enabled her and her student, Muhammad Ammar Mohd Firdaus, 12, to showcase an English sentence-building application innovation developed based on the learning needs of special needs students. The application began as a learning prototype using picture cards and sentence arrangement games in the classroom before being enhanced into a more interactive digital application.
Komathi explained that one challenge faced by students is remembering nouns and verbs and constructing sentences. The application uses pictures to help students identify words and arrange them into sentences. This innovation emerged from a desire to make learning more interactive. Earlier, Komathi and Muhammad Ammar won first place in the PPKI category, with the prize presented by Melaka Science, Technology, Innovation and Digital Communications Committee chairman Datuk Fairul Nizam Roslan.
The application provides three learning levels - basic, intermediate, and advanced - while incorporating audio-visual elements to facilitate the English learning process. Komathi mentioned that the participation offered meaningful exposure for PPKI students, demonstrating that special needs students can also produce innovations when given opportunities and guidance.
Meanwhile, Design and Technology (RBT) and Upper Secondary Vocational Education (PVMA) teacher at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Rahmat, Nurul Shahzwani Saliman, discussed the Rempah AI Learner application, which won first place in the secondary school category. This application was developed based on a problem faced by her students in identifying different types of spices. The innovation, based on students' ideas, underwent three improvement phases, evolving from the first version using PictoBlox to the latest version, which provides specific information on scanned spices.
Shahzwani highlighted that the application, when a spice is scanned, immediately provides information such as its name, history, and uses in cooking. Currently, about 10 types of spices have been included, including candlenut, fennel, cumin, cinnamon, rosemary, bay leaves, cloves, and star anise. The application development process involved collecting data from various angles and lighting conditions to improve recognition accuracy, making it potentially useful for students, teachers, and the community.
SMK Rahmat student Nur Shifa Damia Mohd Najib, 15, added that the application also provides information on the history of spices and recipe suggestions, helping users understand the uses of spices they own and reduce food wastage. The application, developed in the form of a website and installable application, has not yet been published on the Google Play Store as the team still requires support, feedback, and university collaboration for further improvements.