EU4Moldova: Startup City Cahul – digital skills for community development
The curiosity and interest of students in the South of the country in information technology is growing every day, and their determination to get involved in generating solutions to social problems motivates them to study IT subjects right from school. 160 students from the country put into practice their digital skills trained in extra-curricular subjects in the nominal competition “Tekwill Junior Ambassadors”, category “Programming Algorithms in C / CC+”. From the Cahul region, 6 teams of students participated in the competition, who during the year studied this discipline within the “Tekwill in Every School” programme.
During the competition, for four hours, the teams solved three problems related to human activity – daily and social, identifying the right algorithms and generating solutions for these problems. Before participating in the competition, the students were trained by their teachers, who, for more than 2 years, have been discovering with them the fascinating world of informational technologies. The Tekwill Junior Ambassadors competition is in its second year and aims to develop students’ digital and creative skills and identify the best technological solutions to the challenges in the community.
Tatiana Alexeev, ATIC manager: “The widespread introduction of ICT subjects in educational institutions in the country has inflicted a high interest among students. And through the “Tekwill Junior Ambassadors” competition, we aim to promote the digital skills already acquired by students, so that they are even more motivated to study the field further. These young people are already generating solutions for the community, and the ICT field offers them other opportunities. Informational technologies involve students in the educational process, facilitating their development, but also of the whole community.”
Students who study one of the 6 extracurricular courses within “Tekwill in Every School” were able to enter the competition. In order to participate in the competition, the young people formed teams of two students each and were guided by a teacher. Students had the opportunity to select one of the following areas: C / CC + Algorithm Programming, Graphic Design, Web Design & Development, Artificial Intelligence and Mobile Application Design and Development, Entrepreneurship.
Since the beginning of the 2021-2022 academic year, more than 30 teachers have mentored the teams and prepared them for the competition. In total, 65 teams participated in the competition. The winners of the Tekwill Junior Ambassadors enjoyed the prizes. For the first place, each member of the team will receive a laptop, for the second place – a mobile phone, and for the third place – each member of the team will win a smart watch.
The programme is implemented by ATIC within the project “EU4Moldova: Startup City Cahul”, with the financial assistance of the European Union, in partnership with Sweden.
