Participants of HELP International School in Hour of Code campaign
Microsoft Corp. and Code.org have held a campaign in Malaysia to launch the third-annual Hour of Code in Asia Pacific, in effort to to broaden global participation in computer science. Using the theme “Code4Good”, Microsoft Malaysia hosted the Hour of Code campaign spanning 247 locations across Malaysia. Over 25000 children and youth from nonprofit and international schools participated the campaign.
Minecraft coding tutorial
One of the highlights from this year’s Hour of Code, is that a specially created “Minecraft” coding tutorial by Microsoft Corp. and Code.org was unveiled. The purpose is to introduce students and educators the fun in doing basic coding concepts in the world of Minecraft. Such one occasion was seen in Henry Gurney Prison School in Malacca, where over 150 of its students were shown how easy it was to code. Over 20 Microsoft Student Partners, which comprised of undergraduates from across Malaysia along with employee volunteers from Microsoft Malaysia, taught them how fun, relatable and enjoyable coding is in Minecraft.
“A core part of our mission to empower every person on the planet is equipping youth with computational thinking and problem-solving skills to succeed in an increasingly digital world,” said Jeff Bullwinkel, Associate General Counsel and Director of Corporate External & Legal Affairs, Microsoft Asia Pacific and Japan, who was at Henry Gurney to officiate the event. “With ‘Minecraft’ and Code.org, we aim to spark creativity in the next generation of innovators in a way that is natural, collaborative and fun – and this extends to everyone including the students here at Henry Gurney.”
Yusni Bin Habibullah, Deputy Superintendent of Henry Gurney Prison School, was thrilled with the program. ”Our inmates rarely get opportunities to be involved in such an engaging program, more so one that exposes them to 21st century skills that will prepare them for success in the future. They really enjoyed themselves and got to experience a truly exciting time learning how to code in a unique and fun manner through “Minecraft”. We hope this program will inspire the participants to fulfill their potential and to make use of the knowledge they gained today when they leave school.”
Participants of Tenby School
Particpants of Tech Mahindra
Not only this campaign is helping to educate the inmates of Prison Schools across Malaysia with the knowledge and skills that will be useful for their future careers, but it also saw the participation of children and youths of all ages from schools in the Federal Territory and Selangor, including students and participants from the Help International School, Tenby International School and Nation Building School. Separately. Under the theme of “Code4Good”, food and other essentials for the victims of recent floods in Malaysia were donated by the children who attended the Hour of Code sessions.
Jasmine Begum, Director, Corporate External & Legal Affairs, Microsoft Malaysia and Emerging Markets said, “At Microsoft, we believe every young Malaysian should have the opportunity to learn computer science, giving them the power to create with technology. We want to create immersive and inclusive experiences that inspire lifelong learning, stimulating development of essential life skills and supporting educators in guiding and nurturing student passions. Therefore it is with great pleasure that we welcome the announcement by Tan Sri Dr. Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, Secretary General, Ministry of Finance at 1AES to introduce coding in primary schools as a pilot project next year."
“With the Hour of Code campaign, we continue to create real impact in Malaysia, equipping the younger generation with computer science knowledge and basic programming which are skills that will form the foundation for many jobs in the future,” she concluded.
Participants of Nation Building School
Participants of Cyberview Minecraft Camp 2015
A recent survey conducted by Microsoft, found out that at least four out of every five students find that “coding is cool”, however, only 53% of youth in the Asia Pacific feel that they have an opportunity to learn coding in school.
For more information, visit www.Code.org or read more about the campaign from Cyberview Minecraft Camp 2015.
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