Nepali students win awards at int'l AI, robotics and coding competition in Indonesia

KATHMANDU: Nepali students secured multiple awards at an international competition on artificial intelligence, robotics and coding held in Jakarta, Indonesia, in May.

The two-day event on May 16–17 drew participants from more than 70 countries and about 1,500 students worldwide. A total of 98 Nepali students aged eight to 18 took part in the contest, which was organised around projects linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

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Six Nepali teams won awards, and three additional teams finished among the top 30. The students presented projects addressing air pollution, water contamination, advanced agricultural systems and drug management, applying AI, robotics and coding to real-world challenges.

Neema Education Foundation, an organisation active in information technology education, facilitated the participation of Nepali teams. In recognition of their performance, the Foundation honoured and rewarded the participating students and their schools at a programme in Kathmandu on Sunday.

Speaking at the event, Dr Sudan Jha, head of the Department of Information Technology at Kathmandu University, said AI, robotics and coding have gained prominence in Nepal in recent years. He said it is a matter of pride that Nepal can now produce a competent IT workforce for the global market and urged greater emphasis on IT education in schools to meet current demands.

Neema Education Foundation’s CEO Nishcal Pradhan and Director Kiran Kumar Shrestha said they hope the Foundation’s initiatives to develop students’ IT skills will further strengthen the country’s technology sector.

(With inputs from RSS)