NEWS: We are the champions

IT WAS a nail-biting situation for Benjamin Phang Shin Yoong and his team mates John Leong and Tan Cheng En moments before their school was announced the winner in the Primary School Open Category at the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) 2009 in Pohang, South Korea.

“We were nervous as the entries from the other countries were good,” said Benjamin, a Year Five pupil from SJKC Jalan Davidson, Kuala Lumpur.

“When the announcement for the second place winner was announced, we were excited that we might have a chance, yet a little apprehensive that we might lose.
Muhyiddin checks out SJKC Jalan Davidson’s winning project at the World Robot Olympiad 2009 while senior ministry officials look on.

“So when they called out our school’s name, we were simply ecstatic and couldn’t stop jumping for joy,” he said.

SJKC Jalan Davidson had won a gold medal in the Primary School open category at the olympiad as well as a Special Award for the superb performance of the team.

“We worked on our project for six months,” he said.

Music that was incorporated into the team’s robot project came from the angklung (a musical instrument made of bamboo) and special computer software, he added.

SMK Methodist Tanjung Malim, Perak Form Four classmates Michael Goh Joon Seng, Wong Shun Yi and Nur Hazirah Mohd Razali had brainstormed with their teacher Lau Yoke Yin on ideas for their project.
Muhyiddin and senior ministry officials pose with the Malaysian contingent, which participated at the World Robot Olympiad 2009 in Korea last week and were named overall champion.

“We finally decided on a robot spray painter which could paint any object and spray in any direction,” said Michael.

SMK Methodist won a gold medal in the Upper Secondary School category and a special award. The team from SMK St Francis Malacca comprising Form Three students Lee Kin Onn, Teng Wai Huang and Tan Ee Jun Johnston were given the Excellent Award for their project, RoboMJ, which was designed to honour the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

“We are disappointed that we did not win but plan to try again next year,” said Kin Onn.

Johnston said their creation was a robot which could move its hands, legs and even its head to the songs of the legend.

Thanks to the performance of the three schools which won two gold medals, two special awards and the excellent award, Malaysia was named the overall champion at the olympiad.
The SMK Methodist Tanjung Malim team pose with the Education Ministry’s School Management Division director Datuk Zulkifly Mohd Wazir (left), who was head of the contingent to South Korea.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said he was very proud of the students’ achievements.

“This means our students’ abilities are not just on par, but better than those in developed countries,” he said after celebrating the success of the Malaysian contingent at the ministry last week.

Muhyiddin, who is also the Education Minister, said the recognition had put Malaysia on the world stage.

He said Malaysia would look into the suggestion that it hosts the competition in future.

“We can look into this as our success will motivate more students to take a keener interest in subjects like Physics, Science and Engineering,” he said.

The Malaysian contingent comprised two primary and four secondary school teams.

They competed in two categories at the olympiad with the theme ‘Artist Robot’.

The other teams which represented Malaysia at the olympiad were SJKC Yuk Chai, Petaling Jaya; SMK Mantin, Negri Sembilan; and SM Sains Sabah, Kota Kinabalu.

The teams representing Malaysia were winners in the National Robotics Competition (NRC) held last month.

Organised by the Education Ministry, the National Science Centre and Sasbadi Sdn Bhd, the competition’s objective was to help students build a solid foundation in Mathematics, Science, Technology, Design and ICT.

Sasbadi’s managing director Law King Hui said this was the third consecutive year that a Malaysian school had won the first prize in the Upper Secondary School Open category at the olympiad.