STAYING ahead of the curve and being relevant is key to survival in this highly competitive era, where artificial intelligence (AI) is making serious waves amid growing demands in the said field, prompting early talent detection among young minds.
Syscore Academy and Innovation, a learning centre specialised in coding, programming, and everything AI-related, is actively advocating for young age participation in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programmes.
Headquartered in Penang, the academy’s latest initiative is a highly commendable one, where 24 students were handpicked to participate in the World Robot Games (WRG) held in Taiwan this year.
These students, mostly Tamil-medium, represented various secondary schools in Penang.
In a recent interview with Buletin Mutiara, the academy’s founder and managing director, Kalidass Ganesan, said he was more than satisfied with the achievements of the students in this year’s competition, calling it a big win for Penang as the state’s young blood is full of potential.
“I believe this year’s success was also partly due to our participation at last year’s WRG in Singapore, where the students got hyped up and were determined to do well in this year’s Taiwan edition.
“This year, 24 students from Syscore were selected to join the competition, where, on average, each one of them participated in at least three to four categories, with the highest at six categories.
“In total, we brought back 80 medals of various types this year, and this is a great achievement by the kids. We started preparing as early as January this year, and it has reflected in the success we attained.
“I would like to also take this opportunity to thank our state executive councillor, Datuk Seri Sundarajoo Somu, who has continuously supported our cause, particularly the WRG, going beyond and motivating the students, from the time we announced our participation in this programme to receiving us at the Penang International Airport (PIA) at the end of the competition,” Kalidass said.
It was a three-day programme, which took place from Nov 29 to Dec 1, and saw the participation of many students from across the globe.
Established in 2012, Syscore has a total of 12 branches in the country, with five of them in Penang.
In a related development, Kalidass said the academy has a total of 500 students, and out of that number, 150 are based here in Penang.
Focused on robotics, programming, coding, and many other areas, the academy welcomes children as young as five in the academy.
“It is important to cultivate this interest at a young age, especially in Penang, because students here, based on my observation, are naturally talented and full of potential.
“With the emergence of technology and urgency in adopting it in the market, we should not waste the skills and talent these kids bring to the table,” he further commented.
K. Sachien, 13, from Assumption International Secondary School, who won six medals, the highest among the others, thanked his coach, who provided thorough coaching to ensure the students could compete at the highest level.
“I have been at Syscore for seven years, and as for WRG this year, I won a gold medal under the soccer 4×4 category, and bronze medals for W3 soccer, AI innovative, sumo RC, sumo family, and drone soccer categories,” he said.
Among other students that were present during the interview were S. Tanveer, 15, from SMK Bukit Jambul, who bagged three medals, A. Aesvan, 15, from SMK Bukit Gambir, and S. Abinayashri, 14, from SMK Convent Green Lane, who attained three medals.
Story by Kevin Vimal
Pix by Darwina Mohd Daud