Inspiring The Next Generation into Maths, Coding and Cybersecurity (and many other things)
Because, learning is fun!
How many times can you say it? Go get your kids into maths … get your kids into coding. Well, there’s one person who has actually done this for a whole lot of kids … Dr Rashmi Mantri.
And, so, I was proud to be a judge and a STEM prize giver at the BYITC Inspire Awards — Young Achiever Spotlight last night at the Scottish Parliament, and in my home city [here]:
And, here are all the amazing kids, their parents and prize givers on the steps of the Garden Lobby at the Scottish Parliament:
And, the supporter of event was MSP Anas Sarwar:
And the lead for the awards was Dr Rashmi Mantri:
Overall awards are just perfect in what they aim to award:
… individuals who have faced challenges and still came out shining, children who are dynamic, empowering, inspiring and committed to change the world for the better
and every winner beamed a smile that could melt anyone's heart.
Overall, there awards in so many areas, including maths, software coding, dance and academic studies. Each child thus showcased that no matter what our world puts in their place, these shining beacons of light, excel in ways that no one could ever imagine. They are truly the leaders of our future.
And, to make things even better, one of my fellow judges was one of my ex-students and who has done such great things in cybersecurity [Jai Aenugu]:
The strive to make the world a better place
I think maths is amazing, and I really think we should show our next generation how wonderful it is. It is never a chore to work on a maths problem. I love coding, too, and believe that every child should be taught how to code — even at any early age. We switch so many kids off maths and coding, and at such as early age.
And, so, it is my great privilege to know the wonderful Rashmi Mantri, and who has made such a difference to the lives of so many kids:
“My life’s journey and my move from teaching adults to teaching kids all revolves around my son, Dhruv Maheshwari. One day I asked him a simple question, such as 35 minus 13, and he could not answer. Dhruv was in Primary 5 at that time, I was deeply depressed by the fact that he could not do this simple calculation is his head. This was the beginning of Supermaths. “
If more people thought like Rashmi, we’d be bringing on a generation that had no fears of the world they might face, and thus break down the barriers that our world faces. Her drive has been to set up safe places for kids to learn after school, and especially focused on the development of coding skills:
And, it doesn’t end there. There are super maths classes:
And, along with maths and coding, I love writing too, and Rashmi has that covered too, with fun English classes:
And, to prove that kids really do love coding, there are Coding and Robotics classes:
And, close to my heart, is getting more kids into cybersecurity. Not the boring things of telling them about the risks that our online faces, but the fun of solving cipher puzzles [here]:
And while Rashmi’s focus has been on Scotland, the BYITC courses run all over the world:
Conclusions
So, I repeat …
Go get your kids into maths … get your kids into coding … and get them into the fun of cybersecurity.
Our world needs a diversity of thought. It needs those who can build things in ways that we could never imagine. With the Internet, we have created an amazing toolkit for them, and now they have the chance to build a digital world that allows every single person the opportunity to thrive.
Scotland is a country of great beauty and of wonderful cities, But, its main asset is its great talent, its diversity, and of its investment in education.
If you want to know more about BYITC:
And, finally, get your kids into Python:
Because, learning is fun!
