The 2018 National Advanced Robotics Challenge (NARC) and National Robotics Open Competition (NROC) was successfully held on the 8 th of September 2018 at St Joseph’s Institution International School Malaysia (Tropicana PJ Campus). The event was jointly organised by Sasbadi Holdings Berhad, the National Partner of the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) for Malaysia, and the Malaysian Ministry of Education together with St Joseph’s Institution International School Malaysia (Tropicana PJ Campus) or SJIIM being the Strategic Partner and Venue Sponsor for this event.
The main objectives of the event are to encourage and deepen students’ interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematical (STEM) concepts; to sharpen their Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS), to further develop their creativity and innovative problem solving skills, and to improve their collaborative skills. The competition required the participants to design, construct and programme their own robotics inventions to solve a specified challenge. In doing so, they unknowingly develop important 21 st century skills which will benefit them in their future careers.
There were a total of 73 teams this year for both competitions and the SJIIM multi-purpose sports hall was filled with excited participants on an early morning of a public holiday . The competition theme for this year’s NARC was “Tetrastack”, where the challenge required the participants to build a robot that can score as many points as possible in a robotic version of the Tetris® game. Meanwhile, the theme for NROC was “Food Matters”, which focused on the way food is grown, shared and consumed; and how robotics technology can be used to help grow more and better food as well as reduce food waste at the same time. The champions of the different levels will be getting the opportunity to represent Malaysia at the 2018 World Robot Olympiad (WRO) scheduled to be held in Chiang Mai, Thailand from 16 – 18 November 2018. SJIIM was represented in the Elementary School category by Mike Liu and Gan Ru Ping, who emerged first runner-up out of the 17 participating teams.
SJIIM’s Mike Liu and Gan Ru Ping, First Runner-Up for the Elementary School Category
Mr. Law King Hui, Group Managing Director of Sasbadi Holdings, was proud of the continuous positive reception the annual competition received and the impact it gives to the young generation, saying “The 21 st century is moving at such an astonishing pace that it will come as no surprise if there are demands for jobs in the near future that do not even exist today. The NARC and NROC is an effective platform for students to nurture crucial skills that future jobs will require STEM and 21 st Century Skills, which emphasises critical thinking and problem solving capabilities. This is exceptionally important as well for the tertiary students who will be entering the workforce soon.”
Y.Bhg. Datin Sri Hajah Nor Zamani binti Abdol Hamid, Director of the Private Education Division of the Ministry of Education, was elated with the successful organisation of the competition. She further added, “This annual programme is fully supported by MOE as the Ministry is a proponent for well-rounded education where the attributes of creativity and innovation are essential weapons in the intellectual armoury of students. These additional skills, as stated in the National Education Blueprint (2013-2025) will be the new capital inputs for creating new enterprises and future employment.”
MOE Private Education Division Director , Datin Sri Hajah Nor Zamani binti Abdol Hamid (fourth from left) checking out the winning team’s robot in action
Present at the 2018 NARC and NROC closing ceremony were Y.Bhg. Datin Sri Hajah Nor Zamani binti Abdol Hamid, Director of Private Education Division, Ministry of Education Malaysia; Mr. Law King Hui, Group Managing Director of Sasbadi Holdings Berhad; Dato’ Br. Paul Ho, Chairman of the Board of Governors for St Joseph’s Institution International School Malaysia; Mr Dennis Tang, President and Governor of St Joseph’s Institution International School Malaysia; and Mr Kevin Wan, Programme Director of Sasbadi Learning Solutions.
MOE Private Education Division Director , Datin Sri Hajah Nor Zamani binti Abdol Hamid with MOE, Sasbadi and SJIIM VIPs.
