Microsoft, MoE step up to encourage youth to take on Imagine Cup Junior 2023

Microsoft General Manager South East Asia New Markets Sook Hoon Cheah joins online to speak about Imagine Cup Junior to school principals

Microsoft Imagine Cup Junior 2023 is open for applications for school students aged 13-18. 
In its fourth year, Imagine Cup Junior 2023 is an exciting platform that enables children to learn about technology and how it can be used to solve some of the bigger challenges in the world. 

Taking a step further to encourage school students of Sri Lanka to join the Imagine Cup Junior challenge, Microsoft recently hosted the principals of several schools, where they were briefed about the competition, benefits of participation and application process. 

The platform will give the students an opportunity to be creative with their knowledge in technology and apply it to real-life problem-solving. Registrations for 2023 opened on January 11, 2023 and will close on May 10, 2023.
The session was attended by Education Minister Dr. Susil Premajayantha as well as the secretary and officials of the Education Ministry as an encouragement to the principals in taking the news of the challenge to their schools. 
The Imagine Cup Junior is the junior segment of Microsoft Imagine Cup, the premier global student technology competition, which has been on for over two decades, offering the students an opportunity to tap into their entrepreneurial skills and develop technology solutions for pressing local and global issues. The Imagine Cup Junior is a great introduction to technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and is designed to be suitable for students at any level of technical proficiency. 

“We need to act efficiently to keep up with the changing world that creates new knowledge and information at a rapid speed. It is important that we provide the right education, technology and skills for our future generation to keep up with this dynamic environment,” said Dr. Premajayantha. “We are bringing programmes together to educate and upskill our teachers and create more opportunities for our students. In this journey, exposing and educating our educators and students to emerging technologies such as AI is of paramount importance.

Competitions such as Imagine Cup Junior 2023 launched by Microsoft create a global platform for our teachers and students to acquire new knowledge and test their skills to make them future-ready citizens,” he added.

Speaking about Imagine Cup Junior 2023, Microsoft South East Asia New Markets General Manager Sook Hoon Cheah said, “Students today are the changemakers of tomorrow. They have the opportunity to shape our world – creating inspiring and inclusive projects using cutting-edge technologies to solve pressing real-world problems of people, places and the planet. 

This year, students can bring their ideas to life in one of the five competition categories of Imagine Cup — AI for Earth, AI for Health, AI for Accessibility, AI for Humanitarian Action and AI for Cultural Heritage.

Students can unlock their skills with curated training and mentorship from Microsoft experts. They will work together with like-minded students and build resume-worthy skills.”

“We are proud to bring Imagine Cup Junior to Sri Lanka and create this opportunity for our own school students to encourage them to unlock their potential in using AI,” said Microsoft Sri Lanka and the Maldives Country Manager Harsha Randeny. 

He added that the ages from 13 to 18 are vital ages that drive children to be passionate about social and environmental issues. 

“They are determined to question the existing norms and are willing to make a change in matters that they strongly feel about. With access to AI knowledge and Microsoft tools through Imagine Cup Junior, students will be empowered to develop their skills further. It builds the platform to create a digitally empowered workforce for the future,” said Randeny.

The Imagine Cup Junior is a good steppingstone for students to move on towards Microsoft Imagine Cup, where they can gain new skills, connect with those who are in the forefront of change and gain access to exclusive training as well as mentorships. Being recognised at the Imagine Cup Junior will bring global recognition to the students, school and Sri Lanka while opening up opportunities to seek guidance from Microsoft global talent.