RANCAKKAN MADANI: DRONE COMPETITION DRAWS YOUNGER GENERATION TO STEM, TVET

By Muhammad Adil Muzaffar Mohd Fisol

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 6 (Bernama) -- The TVET MADANI Drone Competition stole the attention of visitors at the Rancakkan Madani Bersama Malaysiaku programme today with exciting drone handling actions and challenges.

Deputy Director of Operations of the Department of Human Resources' Advanced Technology College (ADTEC JTM) Kuala Lumpur Campus, Wan Shaiful Hasrizam Wan Muda said this edition featured the participation of more than 200 participants from 64 teams, compared to 32 teams in the previous edition.

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He said the competition, jointly organised by the National TVET Council (MTVET), also offered more lucrative prizes, including RM1,000 for the champion, RM500 (runner-up), RM300 (third place) and RM250 (fourth place), in line with the encouraging response from participating schools and agencies.

“We have two categories; schools and open. Government agencies, Skills Training Institutes (ILK) and higher education institutes are also invited.

"For this time, more than 30 drone units are provided by us and participants only need to bring their respective pilots," he told Bernama.

Wan Shaiful Hasrizam said participants had to pilot drones through an obstacle course within a maximum of three minutes to determine the winner, and so far most participants were able to complete the challenge before the set time.

He said the competition was seen as an effort to strengthen the interest of the younger generation in new technology in line with the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) agenda and national innovation.

"The benefits are great, especially for students who can practise science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) knowledge in real situations.

"This is an opportunity for them to get to know TVET better and see how technology can be applied practically," he said.

The three-day Rancakkan MADANI programme, which began yesterday, features more than 300 people-friendly services, a career carnival, interactive exhibitions, family entertainment and various special offers for the public.

The national-scale programme, organised by the Prime Minister's Office through the Project Acceleration and Coordination Unit (PACU), targets the attendance of 300,000 visitors and will run from 9 am to 10 pm on Friday and Saturday, and 9 am to 6 pm on Sunday.

-- BERNAMA