Hatanpää primary school student wins in national entrepreneur competition
Hasanat Sultani, a pupil at Hatanpää school, sits down on a chair and takes two objects from his cloth bag and places them on the table. Two objects are actually prizes that say "Best self-employed entrepreneur". In the spring, Sultani took part in the Nuorten Uskalla Yrittää competition with his own business product, and his gold medal in the final is now reflected in the two prizes on the table.
– The competition went very well, despite my own excitement. The journey taught me a lot about myself, says Sultani with a smile.
Sultani, a 9th grader, first won the Best Product category at the Pirkanmaa regional event and later won the Best Sole Entrepreneur category at the national finals. In the final, Sultani competed against young people of primary school age as well as those of secondary school and vocational school age.
– This is a very significant achievement for an elementary school student. Hasanat has been admirably proactive in seeking feedback and help from the various subject teachers at our school. He has also increased the knowledge of entrepreneurship and work life education among all our school staff, says Ville Lähdesmäki, teacher of the entrepreneurship course in Hatanpää.
Discipline and perseverance won first places
The product developed by Sultan is related to skin care and the old Japanese kintsugi style. Kintsugi is the art of repairing broken objects with gold, and Sultani has combined the art form with Japanese philosophy in his business idea.
– This cosmetic product contains pure gold and natural ingredients. The product combines skin wellness with an artistic and philosophical approach.
Sultani has developed her product and its properties by asking for suggestions for improvement from many different sources, including cosmetologists and, in particular, teachers at the Hatanpää school. A lot of time and effort has gone into developing the product.
– I got a lot of good tips and help in developing the product from friends, professionals and teachers from the very beginning, says Sultani.
Sultan's triumphant success and entrepreneurship is the result of an elective course on entrepreneurship at Hatanpää School. The optional course is based on the "Year as an Entrepreneur" (Vuosi yrittäjänä) programme, which has developed its own course versions for secondary schools, upper secondary schools and universities. The year-long entrepreneurship course is part of the broad entrepreneurship and work life skills component of the basic education curriculum and the work life education pathway. The course also entitles students to participate in the Nuorten Uskalla Yrittää competition.
– As a teacher, I noticed early on in the course that Hasanat is exceptionally talented, persistent and willing to work hard. My most important task has been to provide the space and encouragement that an intrinsically motivated student like her needs. A teacher is like a coach; he knows how to show the way, and at the same time how to stay out of the way, says Lähdesmäki.
Lähdesmäki continues that teachers don't have to have all the answers to help students experiment, dare and be brave. In the best case scenario, when students are able to show their skills, the best way to celebrate their competitive success at school is with a medal ceremony.
– When you believe in what you're doing and are willing to work hard, you can't be stopped by age or anything else, concludes Sultani.
