Oracle Academy, recently hosted a ‘Code Together with Oracle Academy’ event in Sri Lanka. The initiative supports the country’s advancement of computer science education and inspires students’ creativity. Around 120 students, aged 12 to 14 years, across 10 schools in the Western Province attended the event aimed at sharpening their knowledge about coding concepts and gaining insight into latest tools and emerging technologies.
An Oracle Academy trainer conducted several informative sessions, as well as interactively taught students how to use graphic design software called Alice, a 3D educational software tool with a drag-and-drop interface for creating animations.
“At Oracle Academy, we are thrilled to support ongoing work in Sri Lanka to inspire and engage students in computer science.
This initiative provides an excellent opportunity for students to display their coding skills and it was heartening to see how they understood object-oriented programming concepts with a little bit of advice and guidance from us,” said Regional Director, Oracle Academy, Asia Pacific and Japan, Damian Haas.
Former Sri Lanka cricket captain, Mahela Jayawardena said, “Skills and knowledge are the driving forces of economic growth and social development for any country. I am so glad to see the level of interest shown by these young minds.“Events such as these help generate Sri Lankan students’ interest in the field of Computer Science, provide them an opportunity to code in a collaborative environment, and equip them with the IT skills they need to compete in tomorrow’s job market,” he said.
Head of applications, Sri Lanka, Indochina and the Maldives, Oracle, Chandita Samaranayake said, “I am thrilled to see the level of enthusiasm and level of interaction displayed by these young minds at “Code Together with Oracle Academy.
“These students are our future assets. Our aim is to provide the necessary exposure and interaction with computer science, while creating an awareness of the latest technologies, innovations and opportunities available.” Chairwoman, Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka, Chitranganie Mubarak was also present. A majority of the students had neither experience with computer programing nor 3D animation.
However, students were able to develop amazing animations using their imagination, creativity and computing. In addition to learning how to code, students had the chance to hear from a number of speakers at the event — Oracle partners, Oracle Academy members and guest speakers — who shared their experiences with participants on pursuing a career in the technology field and becoming a future leader of Sri Lanka.