Given little more than a year to prepare, 112 student teams from around the world descended on South Korea to demonstrate their ideas on improving and broadening access to education. The gathering culminated in Microsoft`s annual Imagine Cup world finals. Judges at the event featured experts from both the private and public sector, including Unesco`s assistant director-general for communication and information Abdul Waheed Khan.

Now in its fifth year, the Imagine Cup competition has increasingly gained popularity, primarily through word of mouth. Students have used the opportunity to test their ideas, expose themselves to new technologies and – if successful – claim their share of the $170 000 (approximately R1.24 million) in prize money. The theme for this year`s competition centred on “Imagine a world where technology enables better education for all”.