Two-Day Computer Science Hackathon Competition to Foster Problem Solving and Computational Thinking Among Tribal Students

Leadership for Equity, in collaboration with the Scratch Foundation and the ITDP Kalwan and the ITDP Rajur, successfully organized a two-day computer science hackathon competition on March 4th and 5th at Hotel Seven Apple, Nasik. This engaging event aimed to enhance computational thinking and equip tribal students from 4th to 8th standard with problem-solving, communication, critical thinking, and coding

skills using the Scratch platform, which are aligned with the 21st-century skills mentioned in the National Education Policy, 2020.

The hackathon competition was the culmination of the computer science hackathon Utsav that was implemented with the teachers and students of ashram schools from the Kalwan and Rajur project Office. The competition marked the presence of six schools with one teacher and three students each from Rajur and Kalwan project offices. It provided a hands-on learning experience, enabling students to create innovative projects addressing real-world problems around them. The students also had the opportunity to develop teamwork, creativity, and presentation skills, concluding with a final pitch to showcase their projects to the panel of evaluators.

Mr Shailesh Patel, assistant project officer (APO), education, tribal development department (TDD), and Ms. Amruta Bhalerao, UNDP education consultant to TDD, were the chief guests of the event. Winners of the competition were felicitated with digital devices like laptops and smart TVs by the chief guests. Government Ashram School, Kelikotul, secured the first prize, whereas Government Secondary and Higher Secondary Ashram School, Paithan, both from the Rajur project office, secured second. Government Secondary and Higher Secondary Ashram School, Chankapur, from the Kalwan project office, secured the third prize. The remaining schools also received digital devices as prizes.

The collaborative efforts of the Tribal Development Department Leadership for Equity and the Scratch Foundation mark a significant step toward integrating 21st-century skills into mainstream learning, ensuring that tribal students are well-prepared for the future.