Hyderabad: TSWREIS to conduct new edition of Mega Hackathon

Hyderabad: Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS), known to have introduced coding as fourth language, now adds on yet another unique feather in their cap. They have embarked on a new edition of Mega Hackathon, one of India's biggest school Hackathon on village problems and problems in communities surrounding TSWREIS Schools in the state.

The Hackathon will be held on February 1. The Hackathon involves 5000 students from marginalised backgrounds and 60 per cent of them comprised girls. It will be held simultaneously at 25 locations across Telangana. The Hackathon will be held for 6th to 9th graders who are in the age group of 11 to 14 years.

It will be organised by Secure Space, a city-based Startup engaged in tech content development. It will be organized in association with Sunitha Infovision Ltd, a Hyderabad based 18-year-old company in EdTech Space and CST (Centinel Spark Technologies), a company involved in School Technology Training and Implementation. By teaching these boys and girls to code, we're preparing them to enter the work force as well as preparing them to lead in future" shares Secure Space Pvt Ltd, which one of the program implementation partner of TSWREIS for Mission Code.

The overall project has been assigned to these entities by Setwin which is a Telangana government nodal agency specialising in training and skill development among youth and students . Society to Train and Educate People's Participation in Development (STEP) is one of the implementing partners. The locations include: Chilkoor, Ibrahimpatnam, Shamshabad, Mahendra Hills, Narsing, Hayatnagar, Medchal, Saroornagar, RK Puram, Chevella, Choutuppal, Manakondur, Chppadandi, Karimnagar(Alugunoor), Wardhannapet at Madikonda, Warangal West, Thrimalayapalem, Dhanvaigudem, Palvanch, Kondapur, Adilabad, Itikyala, Siddipet, Bhongir and Dharmaram.

Students have already toured surrounding communities and villages close to their respective schools to identify problems. Some of the problem identified include: Improving the means of livelihood; Increasing the Production and productivity; women education; falling kids into abandoned borewells among many other. They are working on these problems and will come with solutions by February 01. On that day, they will go back to the communities and implement the solutions.

The Hackathon is all about coming out with workable solutions to solve rural problems and problems in villages and communities surrounding TSWREIS schools, so that students have practical and hands-on experience. This is organised under the unique concept named "Mission Code" introduced in TSWREIS. Project Mission Code is an initiative to encourage both boys and girls learn software coding and leverage technology for problem solving. Thus students learn both learn to leverage technologies to solve day to problems and they will also develop analytical skills.

TSWREIS is found to cater to educational needs of marginalised children. It teaches students differently. The students of the TSWRIES schools are on a mission to develop villages, inspired and motivated by their Secretary Dr R. S. Praveen Kumar and with the help of their knowledge and new computer programming they have learnt – from the Mission Code programme through which these schools going kids are helping farmers and villages solve their problems.

Kids, particularly, the Government school kids of TSWREIS schools are going beyond their prescribed curriculum. Digital Technologies have become part of their DNA. They can code in HTML, Java Script and Sensors. At an age of 11 years, these kids are learning to code. They are speaking the such languages, even their parents don't understand. Computer programming which was once seen as a skill reserved for geeks and computer nerds is now is regarded as an essential ability for 21st students.