Over 170 students from primary and secondary schools across Lagos state gathered at the Grange School, GRA Ikeja to collaborate and compete in the 2018 Oracle Student Hackathon organized by Wi-Fi Combat Academy. The event which is an annual event and in it’s second year is geared towards equipping kids with coding skills to solve real life problems.
Knowing how to code can secure well-paid jobs in the future, and that means more freedom to choose and say no to mediocre positions. When children learn to code, they are not only gaining higher-order thinking skills but a chance to choose exciting and more challenging jobs in the future.
The aim of the Oracle sponsored competition is to encourage innovation in primary and secondary school students thereby improving their innate creative, innovative and problem solving skills. The activities at the competition can ignite creativity in students and if well nurtured can be developed to a profit-making skill.
Last year was the first Oracle Students Hackathon where 80 students used Alice and GreenFoot to create Java programs to create awareness on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGoals) through animation or designing games.
During the four-hour event this year, the students were divided into different groups containing 6 students each from different schools and they competed for the top 3 positions at the event.Students in both primary and secondary school don’t compete with other schools. They are put into groups from various schools to enhance collaboration, team building and knowledge sharing.
While speaking at the event, the country manager oracle student academy Sefunmi Fadahunsi said, “It is always a great feeling to bring this young minds under one roof and add value to them. Parents are understanding that technology is the future, and the Oracle Students Hackathon is helping them get involved now.”
Mrs Dele Tejuosho the founder of Wi-Fi combat academy in her remark said that; “the technology world is so wide and there are so many opportunities for children. We’re happy to instill in them a habit of adding value to the society at this early stage. I am excited because this year’s Oracle Student Hackathon, had a lot of public schools which is an indication that the children there are having increased interest in coding and doing well like their mates in the private schools.
Technology is rapidly evolving and getting kids involved at their early age will help shape them and also help add value to the society in the nearest future.